Katie713

It appears the family dynamic is playing havoc with your emotions and I get that and understand your pain.

From a purely practical standpoint, if you suffer no complications, you can take care of yourself. I did it with no real problems and I went through the surgery on my own as well because that is what I wanted to do. I am very independent and knew if I didn't have complications, I would be fine as I am fairly strong and resiliant. Also, my hospital told me that if I didn't have a ride, they would help me secure transport with Access paratransit or something. My son came and picked me up so I didn't need it, but it was available to me. Perhaps you can research this.

I'm so sorry to hear that your mother is trying to make you feel selfish. There is a time to prioritize your own health, and I give you kudos for that. Do what you need to do girlfriend.

Seems like you have the classic symptoms of Celiac. Take care of yourself, I'm sure you want to be healthy, and knowledge is power.

Celiac (SEE-lee-ak) disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is primarily found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. People with celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients.

Celiac disease can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Eventually, the decreased absorption of nutrients (malabsorption) that occurs with celiac disease can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive your brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment.

No treatment can cure celiac disease. However, you can effectively manage celiac disease by changing your diet.

Celiac disease may also present itself in less obvious ways, including:

• Irritability or depression
  
• Anemia
  
• Stomach upset
  
• Joint pain
  
• Muscle cramps
  
• Skin rash
  
• Mouth sores
  
• Dental and bone disorders (such as osteoporosis)
  
• Tingling in the legs and feet (neuropathy)
  

Some indications of malabsorption of nutrients that may result from celiac disease include:

• Weight loss
  
• Diarrhea
  
• Abdominal cramps, gas and bloating
  
• General weakness and fatigue
  
• Foul-smelling or grayish stools that may be fatty or oily
  
• Stunted growth (in children)
  
• Osteoporosis
  

What a rough road you've been down. I do hope that you are able to find out what is causing the fluids consumed to immediately be causing the cough and fluid coming up. This sounds ominous. I know from reading complication stories, the leak can allow that fluid to penetrate in the pleural cavity - putting immense pressure on your lungs and perhaps flooding them?? Don't give up, and if you need to keep going back, then do what you have to do. Seek a second or third opinion if you are not satisfied. You will be in our prayers, and hopefully this will be resolved soon so that your health improves.

Thank you for sharing your story. What a harrowing experience, one that will probably live within you for the rest of your life, and yet, the outcome will hopefully be one that you will appreciate more than most.

Good luck as you move forward with your new way of life. Not sure if you are eating yet, but hopefully you will do ok with that.

One of my other friends here (iggychick) went through a similar experience and hopefully she will connect with you soon...she is very caring and she had a great sense of humor.

If I can be of any help as you move forward, please feel free to contact me here on the boards or by private message.

I kind of think the shock of surgery and your inability to eat much at all in the early stages REALLY helps jumpstart the weight loss, enough to WANT to see it through. Just after surgery, I am happy to say that I lost all my hunger, it was very freaky, but I had to force myself to drink all the required fluids and get my protein in - which I managed. As you move toward pureed and soft foods, you start to "normalize" and look forward to your small meals, and going slow is the only way to manage it, you can eat maybe 1/2 cup total. Hitting solids and opening the door to most foods is where the real challenges begin. If you track your intake, you can see what works and what doesn't and for most a lower carb diet helps the body burn FAT. Add exercise, lose more weight and you start to feel you have endurance and strength. I used to hate to walk accross the street from the parking lot to my office and now I can and do walk for miles. I change up my diet regularly so I don't get bored. I am trying to break a stall now, and so only consuming 40 grams of carbs - that means no bread/tortillas/sweets/potatoes or rice...so I snack on salami & cheese and black olives and for dinner I may eat a hamburger patty or a piece of fish and a vegetable...then I have a sugar free snack in the evening...breakfast is a small omelette or an Atkins protein bar or cottage cheese and fruit, like pears or pineapple. I get full very easy and I feel satiated. That is the main difference eating about 1/3 of your old capacity. I want this to work, and so I work it, but truly, there is no way I could consume a double cheeseburger/fries & a coke at a sitting. I might be able to handle one slider and I will be totally full. I feel happy to be looking so much better and can no longer fit in a 3X or 4X - I easily wear a size 14 now and still have about 45 pounds to lose, but after losing 85 pounds, oh yeah, I feel wonderful!!

Ok, it might be prudent to order a book from amazon.com, as there are books that will give you so much information on how to live with your sleeve. Here's one I saw today:

The Sleeved Life: A Patient-to-Patient Guide on Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Weight Loss Surgery [Paperback]

Pennie Nicola (Author)

But for a quick overview here is some info I think might be helpful:

From 4-6 weeks you should probably still be eating soft foods. Aim for 65 or more grams of protein a day, and 64 oz of fluids and that includes all fluids which should be sugar free. Sample soft menu, high protein foods:

Breakfast

Softly cooked eggs

Cottage Cheese

Yogurt

Hot Cereal

Soft Fruit

Lunch

Soups are perfect

Fish - tuna is a great choice

Refried beans with melted cheese/sour cream

Chili Beans

Soft cooked meats and poultry (crock pot is great for this)

Soft cooked veggies

Dinner

Again, soft cooked meats and poultry or fish

Soft cooked veggies

Snacks

Yogurt

SF jello or pudding

You will probably need to have at least one high protein shake per day to be able to meet your protein needs. I use Pure Protein powder for 25 grams of protein.

Take a multi-vitamin everyday, and calcium citrate, a B12 sublingual 2 days a week, and a B-complex 50 with thiamin daily.

After 6 weeks, start adding regular meats, chicken and fish, salads and a more normal diet, but start slow and see if you can tolerate.

You can probably eat about 4 ounces or half a cup per meal and eventually 6-8 ounces.

Good luck...and no drinking with meals, wait 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after your meals!!

I was told wait at least 1-2 weeks for abdominal healing. You should be good to go, but watch out for pot holes and speed bumps, they really jiggle your stomach and you want as little stretching/movement as possible during healing of your internal and external sutures, etc.

You will probably move thru clear liquids quickly -for alot of us just a few days, then move to full liquids. Might want to go ahead and get your protein powder or ready-to-drink protein, creamy soups, hot cereal. This way you won't have to go out and pick stuff up, you will stay on this for a week or two before moving to mushy/soft diet.

Good Luck!!

Just try and stick to softer foods during this time, nothing too crispy or well done meat that is overly firm.

Alot of people say crock pot meals are perfect for this stage of eating. Fish is also a good choice as it is so easy to digest. I enjoyed shrimp cocktail (still do) and ceviche, talapia and salmon, even sushi without the rice or nori.

Eggs are perfect and high protein, and also make sure you eat yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit for extra protein.

Good luck...you should be ok...just don't push your limits!!

Welcome Isobel...you've made a strong decision for yourself, I hope you are already proud of yourself for that.

My primary reason for WLS was definately to increase my longevity. I was classified as morbidly obese and had every precurser to heart disease, stroke or diabetes which runs strong in my family.

Last Fall (2011), I was getting winded just walking from the parking lot where I work to my office building right next door...the writing was clearly on the wall. I simply decided that was it and I prayed for the strength to commit to a healthier life. The next day, by chance I found out Kaiser covered WLS. I always thought only PPO's covered it. I made an appointment with my primary for my annual physical with the intent of asking if I might qualify for WLS. Amazingly, after my appointment, I asked my primary, and she agreed this would be a great option for me, and she referred me that very day to the Options program at Kaiser.

Fast forward....I had surgery 4/6/12 and I have no regrets whatsoever. This has truly been life changing. I saw on your profile your stats, and we are both shorty's and started at a similar weight. You will be amazed at how much better you will feel as you move forward on this journey toward better health. I am down close to 80 pounds since last summer and I feel better than I have in decades!

You are already a beautiful woman....but imagine yourself seeing that beauty peeking out in a size 6 or 8 outfit??

Good Luck on your journey!!!

I use the Pure Protein powder in Frosty chocolate. It's only 140 calories, 3 carbs, 25 grams of protein. It's not too sweet and it is very reasonable, I buy it at Walmart for under $20 for a big tub. I don't put it in the blender it gets too frothy - I mix it with water and put the shaker bottle in the freezer until it's really cold almost crystalized.

The ready to drink Premier Protein from Costco and Sams Club is also very good - and about $25 for 18 cartons, 150 calories, 5 carbs and 30 grams of protein.

I took a month off work after surgery in early April so I was very in tune with how my body was healing and reacting to my my new dietary restrictions, digestion, etc.

I would have to nap after most of my meals, especially the mid-day and evening meal. I would suddenly feel so tired and I knew I was home to recover, and allowed myself to follow the rythms and not fight them. I came to look forward to my little naps.

At 3 months out, I don't need to nap after my meals anymore. But I do listen to my body much more as I move forward with my weight loss journey.

Food is such an integral part of our lives, obviously we need it to survive, but the social aspect of our own experiences comes into the picture so strongly.

Like you, I come from a family of wonderful cooks and the mantra at our table was the 3 ups, "Sit up, shut up, and eat up!" There were 9 of us at the dinner table, me and my 6 brothers and Mom & Dad, not to mention all the big family parties and my grandparents had a Mexican Deli so food was a huge part of our family life.

During hard times, I remember that worry...how are we going to feed all the kids? As I grew up and had my own family and then became a single mom, the same thing rolled through my head, food, food, food. I have always loved food, and consider myself a foodie!

The change in food intake is paramount now, as well as tracking and keeping myself in the weight loss mode, but I still love to cook and hang out with friends - I will never give up my love of food, I just have a new perspective!

Thanks for your story!

I was so worried about the darned hospital gown fitting, because as most big girls know when you go to the doctor and have to put one on, you really needed two one in front and one like a robe!

I was so surprised when I was in the pre-op ward, I was given my gown and it was HUGE. Really HUGE, not because I had lost weight, they were huge because of our prevailing patient size.

Oh....the little miracles : )

There was a thread in the forums regarding the gastric sleeve surgery of one of the nieces of one of the primary surgeons who operates out of Mexico. If anyone can find this thread, please provide the information. I tried looking but couldn't find the thread.

Sierra...this is a huge decision for anyone let alone a teen, but based on what you've said, I understand your interest in getting healthy and being proactive even at this young age. Many of us probably wish we had done this years or decades ago. In my opionion, If your parent's are on board in conjunction with your doctors, there is no reason to not move forward if this is what you need to get healthy.

There is plenty of support here on the boards so you know what to expect. Get as much education as you can about this surgery, and remember, this is a lifesyle change, and your ability to eat will be altered forever.

I am very happy with how this is helping me lose the excess weight, and I also eat much healthier than I have in years!!

Good luck!!

I am 3 months out and have my coffee every morning just like I used to. It doesn't bother my new little stomach at all. I had given up soda a long time ago and so I don't miss it at all.

There are two main things that come in to play from my viewpoint. You have to face your feelings about food and examine the role it plays in your life. Alot of us have had very emotional feelings letting our good friend (food) go...or our addictive patterns of overeating.

Obviously we all still have to eat and in the beginning there are challenges, but time flew by for me, and before I knew it I was trying different foods to see what and how much I could tolerate and also logging my nutritional info so that I am getting my liquids/proteins/calories under control so that I continue to lose, but maintain my nutritional health.

I feel great, better every day. Some foods still give me a little trouble, so I eat what goes down easy. I spend more time with friends and not always going out to eat! If we do go out to eat, I bring home my doggy bag...but I enjoy every little morsel I do eat!

Good luck on your journey!

We are so on the same page. I was doing the same thing for awhile, but eventually, I had to let the biggest stuff go...I went from a 3X or 4X down to an 18 or a XL this year....I am not spending alot of money on new stuff yet, I still have a ways to go but I did buy some summer tops and found some smaller pants and capris I had stashed from my skinnier days...got a pedicure and a haircut, a new handbag...hey I'm a whole new ME!

It's so hard, we get tied to that scale, I mean that's why we did this surgery, right? It took awhile for that scale to move for me and I was reading about everyone else losing tons of weight it seemed....but we all heal differently...and when I stopped worrying, the weight started dropping off...

I am a slow loser, but slow and steady and I feel great 3 months out. I can eat all kinds of things in small amounts, and I no longer doubt this was the best thing I ever did for myself.

Have faith girl !!

Intellectually you must know that if you aren't eating anything you are not REALLY gaining weight. You've had an injury to a major organ, and when we have injury - our bodies send out plenty of fluid in the healing process, hence swelling and water retention.

Once the inflammation subsides, the fluid will be released and you will see that scale moving to the left.

I know this is frustrating...but you need more time to recover before you get into normal body rythms.

Don't let it get you down!

I had the same feeling in the pre-op period when I was required to lost 10% before being approved for surgery. I used to look forward to going home for a nice big meal after work, and I hate to say it, but it's true, parking myself on the sofa for a long night of tv. I always had active weekends, but my regular weekday evenings were so comforting and it felt so good after a great meal. When I would feel stressed out, I always knew eating would make me feel better and it did. I wanted this surgery, and so I had to learn to let the feelings pass if I was going to be successful losing the weight. By letting the feelings pass I mean working through our craving periods, and recognizing that the craving will pass if you just ride it out. Sometimes it only takes minutes, sometimes a bit longer, but you have to harness the power of your own mind to get through it. We can all survive a craving and we can all find other things to engage our lives so that we begin to feel happiness from other pursuits.

I'm 3 months out from surgery and I am doing better with my relationship with food. It doesn't have a hold on me the way it did. Eating is sometimes a chore, but there are times it is still delightful. I am much more active now, and sitting on the couch watching tv doesn't seem quite as important as it once did. I often go to the gym after work or go swimming, then have a liesurely, late dinner. I am generally satiated enough that I don't crave a sweet in the evening, but if I do, I always have either a blue bunny sugar free frozen treat (70 cal) or maybe a Weight Watchers frozen treat.

Most excellent!

Kaiser Options?

You wouldn't be the first person to have "that one last thing" they are craving before the new dietary restrictions begin. Some people call it a food funeral. I thought that was funny. I wanted a steak and lobster dinner, now I had been doing a pre-op diet for 6 months - just calorie restriction because I was in the Kaiser pre-op program (I only had one day of clear liquids before surgery) but I hadn't had a full steak and lobster dinner with a loaded baked potato in a long time...well I went ahead and had it the weekend before my surgery, and I am glad I did.

Fast forward....I went to the same restaurant with my girlfriend the other night...and it was all about making the right choices. I ordered scallops on a skewer with skewered veggies on the side, no rice, and I took half of the order home for dinner...and I ate about 1/3 of the salad and took the rest home for lunch the next day...I didn't feel I was missing ANYTHING. It feels good to make the right choices, and after awhile it seems second nature.

You have lost so much weight. I hope you are proud of yourself for doing that! Give yourself credit girl!

Yeah it looks like you will have to step it up to get your weight loss going again, our bodies get used to things we do everyday and you have to change it up to get your body to respond differently.

Try and walk everyday at least 30 minutes or more if you can. I bought a couple of DVD's and I work out to them as well and I go to the gym but I am not by any means a gym rat - I have to push myself to do this.

Track your calories and up your water intake to 64 oz. Keep the carbs down if you can, summer is good for that a nice crisp salad for lunch!

Good luck!!

Some people just make comments because they don't know what to think, or some can be rude, others are overly concerned.

Everyone loses at a different rate and there are so many factors! I have been slowly but steadily losing since my pre-op days and of course after surgery but when I really look at myself, I know that I am thinner than I have been in decades, and I am gettting there and I am committed.

You will be just fine girlfriend...watch those pounds go!!