Butterflyhigh

Yeah.....what's up with the bloating?

For me it's my tummy and it gets bigger and bigger as the day goes on. I quit drinking cow's milk years ago because it would cause me to bloat like this. I haven't had anything but Clear Liquids in six days and I'm not gassy at all.

Water retention maybe?

Every time I sip anything and it hits bottom, my sleeve instantly starts to gurgle and make little bubbly noises. I actually kinda like this because I feel like I am getting "in touch" with my sleeve....like I'm getting to know this new piece of me.

I'm a hippie. I hug trees too. haha

Oh cool. So at the very least you've met a new friend who can understand your struggles. That's awesome! See if a nice friendship can grow...and then see if anything else can grow from that.

Haha. Yeah me too.

Except I met him about two month pre-op. I liked him, he liked me...but I had this hugh secret surgery looming! I didn't plan on dating anyone until after the first few months of adjusting to my new sleeved lifestyle.

He was such a nice guy, but ultimately I decided that right now I just want to take care of ME. I don't want to spread myself thin (pun!) trying to build a new relationship while working so hard on my physical and emotional transformations.

Plus...I am envisioning getting to goal weight and being so damn hot that I will have a bevy of men to choose from. haha

Hi!

I've been thinking about this too. Realistically, at some point I will find myself without another quick option other than hitting a drive-thru.

My plan is...look for grilled chicken sandwich, no bun. A few places have chicken salads. Taco Bell could work if you got a steak or chicken quesidilla and only ate the inside, not the tortilla. Wendy's has chili or grilled chicken salad/sandwich. In & Out or Five Guys could be small cheeseburger with no bun. Jimmie John's would be GREAT because they will turn your sandwich into a lettuce wrap.

I'm working on a list for myself which I can refer to when those occasions happen.

Hi,

yes had my surgery this morning, there were 2 reasons why I came to Jordan, the main one is that no-one would do it for me in Europe, I did ask around, I'm not obese enough at a BMI of 33. But I did a lot of research and it is becoming more obvious now that people with my weight can also greatly benefit from the surgery. The other reason was cost, in the UK, this type of surgery can cost up to £18,000. I paid £3,000 here. My surgeon operated on the ambassador of Saud Arabia last year, I'm pretty sure he didn't come here because of the costs..

I'm weak now and feel a bit feverish and this gas in the tummy is not pleasant to the say the least, I'm in the hospital and they seem great.

Thanks :-)

So glad to hear you are now on the other side! The day of surgery I was so drugged I hardly remember a thing. The second day I was sleepy and gassy. Every day gets better. Today on day 6 I feel very good...no gas, no pain, no sluggishness.

Please keep us posted!

Thanks all!

This was a good exercise today in the power of emotional eating. I've never been in denial that I eat to 'feel' better...but I've never been unable to eat when those times hit!! I walked, read, played piano angrily, keep sip sip sipping, watch an hour of tv, and took a nap. I don't feel so bad now.

It is scary how powerful the urge to eat was. It tells me a lot about where I need to focus my mental work and healing.

Four ounces of chicken broth with hot sauce added, four ounces diluted apple juice, and one ounce of Jello....and it took me over two hours to finish it all.

I am dreaming about the pureed stage! Can't get here fast enough.

Wonderful!! It is really wonderful to hear about the big changes in life which you are already experiencing. Image all the future moments you have now because of this surgery.

Congratulations! Well done.

Hot! Wowza!

You're results are fantastic! Congratulations. Well done

I'm having issues with my ex-husband telling the children that "Mommy doesn't want us all to hang out with Tracy" who is the new girlfriend. Well of COURSE I do not want them to be introduced yet...they've only been on four dates! Wait a few months, see if it's going to be a possible long-term relationship, and THEN make the introductions. Ass. But now he has the children mad at me about this.

Anyway...up until last week when I had surgery I would feed my frustration by filling up with food. Now I am sitting here in the house, sipping on 4 oz of clear liquid at a time, and feeling this actual physical/emotional PULL towards the fried chicken place down the street. Because I am not shoving these feelings down with food I am left to just sit with them. My jaw is tight, I'm gritting my teeth, I feel like screaming (I did a few times already), and I'm just at a loss for what to do.

Maybe take a nap? I'm only six days post-op so I'm kinda fatigued anyway. I've tried getting lost in a book but my mind keeps going back to this stressful issue. Same with watching a movie. I've taken an hour long walk around my property but this strong strong desire to eat eat eat will not go away.

I think that as soon as I am clear to exercise I will be taking my butt straight to the gym. Straining, sweating, and grunting actually sound really good right now. And actually.....writing this all down has made me feel a bit better.

What do you do when these moments hit and you can no longer turn to food to drown out the emotions??

You MAY gain the weight back. That is possible.

But if you don't do this you will CERTAINLY stay fat, right?

This will give you the best chance you're ever going to have at loosing and maintaing weight loss. Of course, as you hear over and over again, it is only a tool. It is a very powerful tool that you can utilize in your efforts to be healthy, but the ultimate success will be determined by the decisions you make.

Figuring out and understanding why you eat when it's not necessary will be key in concurring this battle once and for all. Spend time researching the procedure but also on doing some real soul-searching so that you can address the REAl reason why weight is an issue.

I was very worried about this too. I am now 5 days post-op. and this is what I've done to try and limit the exposure to 'real food'.

I have several tiny tupperware containers that I fill in the morning with chicken broth, veggie broth, diluted apple juice, and Jello. I am surrounded by them during the day, they are easy to grab, and it's easy to count Fluid ounces.

I stocked up on easy microwave dinners that the kids can eat so I don't have to handle food much.

Next week when I move towards the pureed stage I'll do the same thing except with lots of homemade meals that I will feed to the kids and then puree for me.

Also...I am really trying to emotionally embrace this 'empty' feeling that I normally want to shove full of food. And it IS emotional. Please try not to chew and spit because it will just drag this whole purging process out. The longer you go without those foods the less of a hold they have on you. Chew and spit is like hitting the RESET button and starting from scratch again.

But how AWESOME of you to be Self-Aware enough and Real enough to call yourself out on this!! That shows you are done being in denial and are a strong woman who can totally conquer this tough stage of the process.

So sorry for you!

Adding more liquids will probably help the nausea. My doc wrote an Rx for anti-nausea med's to use as needed. You could ask your Dr. for that.

During my pregnancies I would place one mint leaf underneath my tongue and keep it there for a few minutes. The sickness would immediately abate and become so much more manageable. Mint is widely used as a natural anti-nausea treatment.

I usually do have freezer bags full of chicken, beef, and vegetable broth. But I fell way behind the ball in getting that stuff ready for post-surgery.

I bought some low-sodium organic vegetable broth and it is just what I needed! I measure out 4 oz of Water, chicken broth, diluted apple juice, and now veggie broth in these tiny little Tupperware's in the morning and then get busy cycling through them all day long. Adding the vegetable broth has made getting in more fluids today SO much better.

Thanks all!

Dr. Curry uses a 36f bougie. It's a bit larger than some other doctors. He stated that in his experience a 36f gives strong restriction with a lower chance of leak complications.

Sorry about the yeast infection. Have you researched it? I wonder if it's the large amount of drugs they just pushed through your system?

How are these extra days in the hospital affecting your Real Life? I feel like being at home, in my own bed, working in my own kitchen is healing and comforting. I wanted OUT of that hospital bed as soon as I came around. I am sorry you are still there.

I will PM you my contact info. It would be great to chit-chat about this via phone.

Hang in there lady! A few little bumps on your way towards a Freedom that you've probably never know is going to be well worth it.

For one year, many years ago, I did this whole raw food cleansing diet. I mostly drank vegetable juice which I juiced myself. I remember consuming somewhere around 500 calories per day and virtually 0 Protein.

Not only did my hair NOT fall out, it was in the best condition of it's life! As were my skin, teeth, and nails.

It was the incredible amount of living nutrients in the fresh veggies that I was juicing.

My nut and I have discussed this and she is clearing me to raw vegetables (juiced only) and with Protein powder added much quicker than usual.

Day 5 and I am doing well. I've been taking a long nap each day and just totally focusing on getting as much fluids in as possible. So far today I've logged 37 oz. I will probably hit 45 oz today.

I have not had one second of a regret! I feel like this was an act of self-love, bravery, and an investment in my physical and emotional health.

Folks like us ROCK!

I am 5 days post-op and just woke up from a three hour nap!

The first two days I hardly did anything except sleep. I've been much more awake for the next three but have taken nap each day.

Right now all I am doing is measuring fluids, sipping fluids, taking it easy, and measuring and sipping more fluids. I noticed more energy after I focused on getting in more warm chicken broth.

It gets better every day. Your body does a lot of healing while asleep. Listen to what it's telling you to do, but don't neglect the hydration.

Congratulations!

I have had two previous cosmetic surgeries in which I was a total nervous wreck the night before. So bad that the doc called a small Rx of valium in. Literally sick with nerves.

This time, however, I was just excited! This is much much more than a cosmetic procedure, but I think I feel as if this is a necessary decision for my health vs. plain ol' vanity.

For the most part I have been alone for recovery (I'm 5 days post-op) and it has been fine. I still have soreness at the incision sites. I have to be careful about bending over and protecting my stomach from cats and kids. Uncomfortableness, maybe some would perceive it as painful, gas under my breasts. That was gone this morning. I can sleep on both sides now.

The biggest thing has been counting fluids. I am measuring out 4 oz. of broth in tiny tupperware containers. I keep a cup of Water with me which holds 12 oz. There is another mug with 14 oz that I keep in the kitchen with little 1 oz cups. And there is Jello. I continually cycle through the tiny little containers all day long.

Another thing...I see you are a low bmi like myself. My doctor said surgery would be easier, recovery would be easier, immediate results would be seen quicker, and long-term results better. I battled myself for a year on the ideas of "Am I too small for this? Is this too drastic?". The hard science is there to back up the benefits for people who do wls between 30-35 bmi.

Good Luck tomorrow!! You will be seriously groggy the entire day. Day two will be when you feel like you are really starting to move forward.

I think it sounds like you need to put that dress on a hanger and hang it on the outside of your closet door. Use it as motivation! Look at it as a reward! You will certainly fit into a 14/16 and will probably end up smaller.

I am ordering three different dresses from the same type of store...high end, high quality, and ubber cute...in a size 12, 10, and 8 and I am hanging them up so I can see them and look forward to wearing them.

You're head is just having a hard time believing you will be a size 14. You didn't waste any money. You WILL wear that dress soon.

Congratulations!!!

I am 5 days post op and feel pretty darn good. I've been living on chicken broth with a bit of hot sauce added, diluted apple juice, and jell-o. I would love to have some warm vegetable broth but it's not technically 'clear'. However it is the same thinness and consistency as the chicken broth.

I only have a few more days of this phase so it's no biggie if i can't sip the veggie broth...but it sounds really wonderful right now.

I have a call in to my nut but am really curious as to what other's have sipped on in the clear liquid phase.

Day One: Came home from hospital veeery dopy and tired. No pain but LOTS of trapped air. Sipping is very uncomfortable. Had a significant hiatial hernia repaired which they said will cause me the majority of my pain.

Day Two: Took Vicodine on schedule throughout the day. Slept the majority of time. Only awake for about 4 hours total. Could only get apx. 24 oz. fluids down. Feeling tired and shaky.

Day Three: Stopped the pain med's. Too much sleepiness. Not much pain but incisions are very tender, have to protect them from jumping cats and cuddly kids. Better on fluids but it's still very uncomfortable when liquid hits my sleeve. More energy today.

Day Four: Got up and drank four oz. of diluted warm apple juice over the course of 20 minutes. Went down so much easier than the previous days. Incisions are still very tender but they don't look bad or infected, just sore. My goal for fluids is 60 oz. and I hope that the diluted apple juice will help me get there. I've had a few moments of 'head hunger'. My daughter was eating a bologna and cheese sandwich and I wanted a bite so bad....but the thought of chewing actually made my stomach act crazy and made me nauseous. I am looking forward to having yogurt and pudding next week when my pureed stage begins.

One thing I've caught on to.....as soon as I sip a Fluid I have to jump up and walk. When the liquid hits my sleeve it feels like it displaces a big air bubble. The walking actually helps the air come out as a burb. So it's Sip...Walk...Burb...Repeat.

All in all my surgery team said I am having an excellent recovery...very positive, low pain, no regret. My doc assured me that starting at a low bmi would cut any risks in half and cause recovery to be much smoother. So far so good!

I am wishing everyone else a speedy recovery!!

Hi!

I live just east of Cincinnati. My surgery was four days ago, June 9th, with Dr. Trace Curry.

Are you pre-op or post-op? What are some of the challenges or fears you are experiencing?

Oh, blah blah blah. Your friend is a wordy b**ch.

Fataphobia...whatever.

She has created this whole little 'proud fat girl' identity for herself, which is fine, but it's her way of staying in denial about her own weight issues. She doesn't want to feel ashamed, or unattractive, or embarrassed about her weight so instead of trying to loose the weight she embraces being fat as this whole spiritual and emotional side of herself.

Your friend sounds like she is very smart but in some serious denial. She's also wicked manipulative to label those around her who want to loose weight as negative fatophobics. That's insane. And the fact that she continues to blog about you just shows how SHALLOW of a friend she is. There are some people who won't stand next to a pretty girl...skinny girl...successful girl...because they feel like standing next to one shines a spotlight on their shortcomings. She is insecure and I would place money on the fact that she is also secretly unhappy with her weight.