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.

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.

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.

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!!

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!!

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!!

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.

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 !!

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!!

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!

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!!

Yep...I noticed the same thing with my thighs! I was trying on my practically brand new bathing suit that I've had for a year because I want to start swimming - and it was huge on me (3X) which was good (but a waste of money) but I really had to take a second look at my thighs...my legs have gotten so much thinner, but there's the wobbley part at the top of the thigh to deal with. I ordered a new swimsuit on-line in a size 18, yeah its a swimdress but very cute - and I ordered the boy shorts to pull up under the swimdress, and they are tight enough to cover the tops of my thighs...I think I can actually go out in public in a swimsuit this year. Eventually, I will probably have plastic surgery though....I can't imagine that I will feel totally comfortable with a lot of loose skin!! I am hitting the gym now and also wearing a compression garment which helps!
Good luck...I like your sense of humor! Hell if we can't laugh at ourselves, then what???

I went through a similar experience over the Memorial weekend, my niece's 21st birthday BBQ with the family, hamburgers, hot dogs, cake and ice cream..... I served myself a hamburger patty with cheese, a few slices of pickle, a tablespoon of potato salad, but strangely, it filled up that paper plate, and as I sat down, I realized there was no way I could finish that plate. I ate half the burger and the pickles, and tasted the potato salad, and I was FULL. I could see those around me with their loaded plates, and I was remembering days gone by, with a hot dog and a burger, salads, chips, drinks...then dessert later, and I would never be really full. My old tummy needed volume to quell the hunger...and even then, I think my gherlin was always in overdrive. I had a taste of cake and it didn't do a thing for me...I felt elated that it had lost it's hold on me.
I am lovin my sleeve. It has given me the gift of control. True, I don't get the subtle high of what my old meals brought me, but it has given me the choice to find other ways to feel good, not just by eating myself into a never ending cycle of feeling good and then feeling guilty.

I start getting a sort of tight feeling in my chest...and the thought is, "am I getting full?" so when I am having that feeling, it is probably time to stop....I often get the hiccups at fullness too, but I have at times taken one bite too many and had to walk it off.

I'm 7 weeks out. Usually I can eat about 1/2 cup of food, so I use that as my standard measure, and I have these little bowls I use that help me portion things properly. I have been able to add a small second item, yesterday a little big of salad with my 1/2 cup of ricotta bake. I made a birthday dinner for my son of lasagna, and I got all the same flavor without the pasta, even browned the cheese on top, let it cook at the same time. I didn't feel I was missing out on anything!

Do what works for your body. I've read that taking in too little calories causes the body to go into starvation mode and your body refuses to let go of weight, but when you fuel yourself up to a minimum of 1200 calories with high protein, veggies and healthy whole grain carbs that is your balanced diet approach which is the healthiest way to go. Primary is protein which is generally around 70-90 grams per day.
Good Luck!

I've come to a similar conclusion...time to start figuring out the "rest of my life" when it comes to eating, and the follow-up appointments with the bariatric department will be a formality only.
We've done it, made the decision to move forward with WLS and going through these tough weeks of drinking shakes and having pureed foods, tiring of mashed potatoes and refried beans with a dollop of sour cream.
I got into a bit of a stall at 5 weeks, and I'm just about to be released into the world of being able to tolerate most foods, and so I'm planning for next week to lower the carbs and get moving on salads. I'm so tired of soup and oatmeal...as soon as I can get to not needing the protein shakes, the better, but I've done a few days of menu planning using this website, and I can come up with some pretty easy routines, having an omelette for breakfast, a salad with a protein at lunch, snacks of turkey slices/cheese or nuts, and fish or chicken and a steamed veggie for dinner....looking forward, not dreading the future!!

You are right about what kids say...over the years I've been embarrased more than a few times by school aged kids who have commented on my weight - and one of my children has made some rude comments from time time that were hurtful. I let him know and I don't think he will be so crude anytime soon.
Losing weight was MY choice and that is why I underwent WLS and not because of the rude comments of kids.
This is my journey and I'm taking ownership.

I'll be sleeved in April, but am on a 1200 calorie restricted diet and when I look at the times when I definately plateaued or gained it was usually from snacking as you've described. A little nacho dip and a few tortilla chips, a little bit of a high calorie dessert like cheesecake. A couple potato chips with real sour cream dip, a tortilla with butter. Not much, but these items were dense and high in calories or fat or starch, enough to stall my weight loss.
This journey I'm on now is about losing the excess weight and when I am on track, logging in my food and staying in my calorie range, with planned goodies so that I don't feel deprived, I continue to lose consistently.
It just brings it home...the statement that the sleeve is just a tool in this journey of ours to lose weight. The proof is in the puddin !!
Thanks for your post!!