crazy4pluto

while i know i'm not the only person who has had the compliction of a stricture after sleeve surgery, i am however the only one in my support group and since it happens only in about 1% of the patients, i'm not forseeing anyone joining my any time soon. nor would i ever wish this on anyone. i had my sleeve surgery in december 2011, my first stricture surgery 6 weeks later, now after being on only soft/pureed foods i go for my gastro check up today and find that since i still continue to throw up 1-2 times a day that they want to go back in a do a second stricture stretch surgery next week. i'm so disappointed, frustrated and really feel like i'm on the verge of a mental break! i've been eating the same foods for 18 weeks. i cannot seem to get my Protein level anywhere near the 70-100 grams. I do stay in contact with the program nutritionist but I cannot find a Protein Powder or shake that will stay down. i add the Unjury non flavored powder to some of my foods but that is almost a automatic food reversal so i can't do it often since i am already losing 1-2 of the 6 meals already. i really hope that this will be the last surgery i will need and that after next week my stomach will finally allow me to eat what i need to eat. i'm sorry i really didn' t know where else to turn. no one understand what i mean when i say i've only been able to eat yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, string chesse and mashed potatoes for 18 weeks! don't get me wrong i'm down 89 pounds and even with the stricture complication i'd do the surgery all over again because i'm already off my cpap machine, off my blood pressure meds and most importantly my knees and feet no longer hurt. i just needed to vent to someone because i'm just frustrated and disappointed that yet again i will have to start back at block one with the liquids only and begin the progression again back to soft/pureed foods for the third time. i went into this not wanting to be a certain size in the end but to be healtier. this dang stricture is sure making seeing that part hard. thanks for listening.

first i want to say thank you to everyone who posted concern about me and that i haven't been on in quite some time. i ended up becoming very ill and actually have been off from work since may. i am getting better with the help a wonderful treatment team but this sure isn't how i thought this journey was going to go. my treatment team tells me all the time that i am strong and my having developed the complications isn't my failure (which is how i began to see it) but just my challenge and that i have the personality that will not only get me though this time but allow me to help others in the process. my stricture is stretched to the maximum at this point and in the past month i have finally begun to try to eat normal foods(not pureed). i win with some and others not so much but i have faith that in time this will all work out. as far as weighing they've been doing blind weights because i got so sick and lost a lot of weight that they didn't want me to completely stress out as i gained weight as i began to finally eat again. it has been quite the adventure but like i've said many times--i would do the surgery all over again because even if i don't end up at the numbers that i had hoped for--i've still lost over 100 pounds and nobody can take that away from me!
again i want to wish everyone strength, happiness and calm as you go though your own journeys. remember it's really not about the numbers---it's about becoming a healther you!!!!
also, for anyone who has developed a stricture or kink (which thankfully shouldn't be too many of you)---yes there is light at the end of the tunnel, just make sure you follow exactly what your treatment team suggests you do and make sure you communicate honestly and as often as needed with the questions and concerns you have. i'm telling you, if didn't know i could tell my treatment team how i feel or know i have their complete support with this---i would probibly not be typing this message to you today.