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 would say hard liquor hits you about 3 times as fast as pre-surgery. I enjoy a nice glass of wine on occasion, but I am no longer hooked on sugar laden mixed drinks!! For the record, the drinks are easy to tolerate....but do the math...alcohol has a lot of calories, probably best for a special occasion or during maintenance stage : )

In the beginning I had to force myself to eat slowly, but chewing was not such an issue with soft mushy foods, hitting solids was a different story as I would feel the sensation of food being sort of stuck for a bit...as I've seen models of the sleeved stomach it is clear there is a bend near the top that food needs to move through...that bend is what I feel at times, so I slow myself down...and kind of eat in increments taking about 30 minutes. No more pounding food down like the old days! BTW I'm just short of 5 months out.

Fantastic job! You look great! I feel the same way when I look at pictures...I am finally seeing my curves again and I used to be very wide as I am a shorty...now I look more petite but still curvy. Good going girlfriend!!

The pureed foods go right through and don't give you a sustained sensation of fullness. This stage is primarily to give you nutrition while not hurting your stomach as it heals. Once you start on solids you will feel the restriction and a definate sense of fullness. Don't stress out, this is normal.

Newgrandmother...you can do this. You're gonna have to have plenty of dietary restrictions for awhile but it gets easier. Accept the process and don't fight it. One shake at a time......

Mine feels better when I dye it - adding some volume to my hair and it has not affected the hair loss situation which for me is staying about the same. I am trying to eat healthier (more veggies/fruits) for better nutrition and taking the biotin.

Just to add, it covers the tummy, hips and thighs....works so good!!

Try the avenue.com or onestopplus.com websites. Look for the easy up/down shaper. It really is easy to get on and off unlike some and it holds everything in. I love mine and it comes in sizes to 4X I think.