Camella

I am now 2 months post op and I have developed a bad habit of eating my food far too quickly. This is leading me to overeat. Any tips on how to slow things down?

I felt exactly the same pre-op. I think it's pretty normal to be scared. I had my surgery 2 months ago and I have to say that I had some regrets after the surgery. Now I'm starting to feel great and I'm still the same person and apart from being healthier, my life is much the same. I'm a strong believer in trusting your gut. Just make sure that your fear isn't obscuring what your heart is telling you. Only you can decide if this is for you. Good Luck!!

I'm almost eight weeks post op and I have to keep reminding myself that this is something I need to constantly work at and constantly improve on. I make mistakes on a regular basis, but, I try a little harder the next day. You will get there! Fortunately the sleeve doesn't give you the option of giving up. I know that if I hadn't had the surgery I would have definitely given up by now. It sounds like you are being quite hard on yourself. Be kind to yourself and make small improvements each day. (ps. I have eaten ice cream three times and each time it has made me feel sick - some lessons are harder to learn than others) Good luck!

Just a quick question....is there anyone that had to have their gallbladder removed post surgery and if so, how soon after? (I had no gallstones pre-op)

Hi everyone I haven't been on for a while as I'm on holiday (in Australia), but just wanted to post an update - almost eight weeks post op and down 18kg - amazing what a difference two months makes!

I am 4 weeks post op and today for the first time since surgery, my eating was a little out of control. Yesterday my doctor told me that I could no longer eating virtually anything containing sugar. This didn't come as a huge surprise to me and, I have been eating very little sugar since surgery. Mistake No. 1 My pre sleeve self took this as "let's just have one more sugar fix. Tomorrow that's it I'm not going to eat anything like that again." Mistake No. 2 I lied to myself about all the good reasons I should buy mango sorbet. I told myself " you have been feeling so nauseas the last couple of days that this may feel nice going down and given how little you are eating you need some calories." Mistake No. 3 I grazed over my mango sorbet (which went down effortlessly) and ended up eating 3/4 of the container. I feel so stupid. I never want to go back to my old ways. I'm just shocked by our easy it is to slip into old habits. I feel really ashamed with myself.

Good point - also ask how many she has done in total.

I think the important question is how long has she been a surgeon? What is her track record as a surgeon (bariatric or otherwise). I made a choice between two surgeons. I chose one who had done less sleeves, but he was an accomplished general surgeon with 30 yrs experience. Obviously it takes time for doctors to establish a track recored and they can't all have done 300 sleeves before they operate on you. I had a good feeling about my surgeon, I like his approach. So what I did to confirm my decision was (through this forum and via a support group) I spoke to past patients of both doctors and then made my choice.

I don't know what your health is currently like, but for me at 40 I was pre-diabetic, high blood pressure and morbidly obese. My mother died from cancer and my dad a heart attack (both in their 60s). This was the main motivation for me having the surgery. I did not want to follow in their footsteps. I believe by getting the weight off your health will be hugely improved and therefore reduced your risks of so many diseases including cancer. I often looked at people's stories who had weight loss surgery 25 yrs ago. I was amazed by how many people maintained a healthy life. It's weird because since I have had the surgery, I look around and wonder why more people don't do it. I wish you luck with your decision.

I can completely relate! before my surgery I was terrified (convinced I would die), but I'm 4 weeks out and things are starting to become a little more normal. I won't lie, for me the first 3 weeks were horrible, but I know that one day I will look back on it as a tiny blip. Anything you experience in the month or two following surgery is almost always temporary. Good luck!!

Your story is SO similar to mine. Overweight up until eighteen, 130 pounds through my entire 20s but obsessed over food to stay slim and suffered from bulimia for a while as a result. Hit 31 my mum and dad both died within 4 months of each other (suddenly), weight jumped 50 pounds. Got married and quit smoking and weight jumped another 30 pounds. Lost 10 pounds and had my son, then went up to 220/225. I was sleeved four weeks ago and I'm down 30 pounds! I've always been athletic and being so heavy really put a stop to sport for me so I can't weight to get some more weight off and play team sport again.

I'm 4 weeks post-op tomorrow and just over the last couple of days, each time I eat a meal (well balanced/appropriate size) within minutes I start to get clammy and sweat and my mood/energy levels take an immediate nose dive. I can only think it has something to do with my blood sugar levels. I was not diabetic prior to surgery. Does anyone know what this is caused by or has anyone else experienced the same thing?

Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement. It's easy to think pre-op that everything is going to change once you are sleeved. Only to realize that you still have the same brain I will definitely move on and do better tomorrow. I have lost 30 pounds and have received lots of positive comments over the last couple of days. So I'm also certain that there was a little self sabotage involved. I guess this is a reminder that I need to also work on my thinking. It's really great to hear from people that can relate!

By the time I returned home from hospital, I just had steri strips. The incisions healed really quickly! Within 1 week they removed the streri strip. My doctor told me that there are internal stitches under the incision, so what is on the surface is fairly superficial.

I know for my husband it was fear of the unknown - he doesn't really like change, especially sudden change. We have a really happy marriage and I'm confident that won't change regardless of what size I am. I think if you have a strong foundation to begin with (which it sounds like you definitely do) this new journey will just make you closer and stronger! Remember that you are not the only one that is going to have to transition into a new way of living. Your hubby will be effected by this change too. I can imagine if it was my husband doing the same thing, I would feel a little insecure. Just continue to reassure him if he voices any concerns. He may need just a little extra TLC.

I don't know if you have a heart rate monitor or not - but that may assist you with the walking and measure the intensity you are exercising at. Set yourself a target heart rate and increase intensity as needed. It's also a good source of motivation as you see your fitness improve. I think that the idea of walking not being exercise is very old fashioned. I had a personal trainer in the past that told me depending on how high you swing your arms and how fast you walk, you can almost get the same work out you would from a run.

The eating slowly is killing me! I try so hard but it's so time consuming and so boring. I am managing 15 minute meals and 15 times chewing, but my doctor told me today that I should be doing 30 of both Aghhhhhh

Wow I'm so sorry that you had to go through this. I also had my spleen nicked but they fixed it while I was under - my surgery took an hour more than it should have as they needed to control the bleeding. I have had some other complications too but fortunately they were resolved quickly. I really feel for you as I know for myself having never been ill before, it really took a toll on me physically and emotionally. Congratulations on seeking help - you are taking a brave step forward! Good luck

One time I ate potato so that would explain it and another time I had refried beans & cheese, so I can't really explain that one. I guess I will just have to make a note if it happens again and see if there is a trend. It may also have to do with eating too fast as niki mentioned.

Thank you for your advice! I spoke with my doctor today and he has told me that it's dumping syndrome. So I need to pay very close attention to what I'm eating. (hidden refined sugars & Carbs)

I have a 4 yr old son and I was in hospital for two nights. I didn't want to scar him so I didn't have him come in. My husband brought him in to pick me up from hospital (with a lovely bunch of flowers) and he was so excited to see me and take me home. I think he asked about the purpose of every button in the room. I think having him come in did help him realize that mummy had a "sick tummy" and I needed to remind him to not jump on me often! Now my incisions are starting to heal he asked me yesterday "so can I squish you now?" Best of luck

((((hugs))) I have notice certain people are very negative on this forum. Just remember its not you!! In my opinion we are all dealing with an addiction and probably are carrying around some excess baggage (emotional). I think that manifests itself differently in people. Some people can become defensive or negative as a consequence, but their comments are not a reflection on you. They are also on their own challenging journey! Keep being generous in your advice as there are so many people on here who benefit from it!

I had the same thing and it got progressively worse. Dr told me it was normal initially and my stomach was cramping quite a bit. Realized after one week that it was C-Diff. It's most likely normal as you just have fluid going in, but definitely worth checking with your doctor to make sure it's not something more serious (at least that was my experience).

Wow ladies you are doing really well and from the pics I see you look great!! I had a stall from day 10 to day 24 where I did not lose anything, but started moving again a couple of days ago. I'm also struggling with the Fluid - probably averaging 40 oz. My energy levels are really low. What are your week 4 stats? Surgery Date: 7/1/2013 Age 41 Height: 5'1 First weight -in with Surgeon: 225 SW: 220 CW: 199 (onderland!!!!!!! as of today) How much are you eating? Way too little I think - I need to see a dietician (my surgeons is on leave) Calorie range? 400 to 500 Have you stalled, yet? Day 10 to 24 Any NSV's? Who can actually drink 64 oz?!?!?!? 40 oz only - I try every day to get to 64 oz and fail miserably What kind if exercising are you doing? nothing yet. I'm exhausted just running up and down stairs at home. Now realizing that it may be that I'm not eating enough. Weird thing for me - my clothes still fit me (must have been squeezing myself into my clothes) and only one friend has even noticed that I have lost weight. I can see a big difference though.

Hi Susan, It was something like that. I have since thrown them away but they were really yummy and yes, very sweet.