Catherine707

I think you have been amazingly successful! First a huge weight loss, while staying in school and preparing for a better life / long term career puts you in the "winner!" column. Yes, you are living in bad situation, and you are missing having supportive people around you, and that can feel overwhelming at times. Be glad that you are past the bad relationship, and that you have a bright future ahead of you. Your feelings are temporary and your other challenges can be fixed! Hang in there, finish your degree and the world will be yours for the taking! You might check into counseling services at your school. Most schools have people available to assist with the emotional bumps in the road!

Love this reminder!

Canary, I don't know where you live, but I live in the Crescent City area and make a bi-monhtly pilgramage to Medford. I must restock at Trader Joe's, Costco and Petsmart. It is a long drive but I stock up on the stuff I use all the time and fit in something fun too. Sometimes it is worth an overnight trip to get the healthy stuff you need!

Ha Ha, that must be the little "joke" God plays on us.... Yes you can lose weight, yes you saved clothes from when you gained.... BUT your body changes and they won't fit! God must be laughing at us!

Sounds like the dreaded gall bladder all right. You can manage the problem by not eating full fat anything. Low or No Fat dairy, and lean meats. These things can be intermittent, they can get better and then you have another attack. The ultrasound exam will give your surgeon lots of information (I am an ultrasound technologist) then you and the Dr can decide what to do next.

Been there done that.... When nothing "looks" good, I put some very fresh cold bay shrimp with a couple of avocado slices and some cocktail sauce. It feels like a treat but is really yummy and healthy.

I am an ultrasound technologist working in a hospital. I needed 7 weeks off work. I caught an upper respiratory infection in the hospital that set my healing back by 2 weeks. At week 3 I was fighting dehydration and vertigo. I was a rocky recovery road for me, there is no way I could have done my job and dealt with patients before the 6 week mark. In 2012 I had my GB removed and I went back to work in 5 days. I read about people on this site that jump back into work very quickly, and I am happy for them, but there are also many who have a longer recovery journey. Only you and your doctor can determine how much time you should anticipate needing, I wanted to give you my personal reality, hopefully you will heal much faster!

Congrats to you! I saved a lot of clothes when I gained the weight and have had fun fitting into some things from over 4 years ago! I have no shopping choices in my rural town, but I am looking forward to when I am a size 10 - 12 and can head to the big city for a major wardrobe revamp!

I think it is a good idea to differentiate between foods you "can't" eat post VGS, and foods that don't agree with you or you choose not to eat. As for the "Can't" list (from my doctor and nutritionist) 1) Anything with carbonation (soda, beer, champagne) 2) Alcohol for the first year post surgery 3) Chewing gum (concerned that if you swallow the gum it will block the stomach). That was it on the "must not ever eat again list". I am 3 months post surgery and have only had one food "disagree" with me. That was a chicken and apple sausage. I felt yucky, and my stomach was upset, but it wasn't a horrible experience, I just wouldn't choose to eat it again. Then there are the foods that I don't eat anymore - this is purely my choice! I try to avoid most simple carbs - white rice, bread, Pasta. I am ok with the whole grain versions, but getting all that Protein in my meals doesn't leave a lot of room for simple carbs, veggies and fruits. I'm eating about 1100 calories a day and losing 2 pounds per week. If I truely crave a food, I will have a mouthful, and then the craving is done and over with. As for a prohibition on grapes, maybe in the first 2 months, but after that if you chew it well, it should be fine. I hope this helps.

I recently attended a support group that was completely hijacked by someone that should never have been approved for the surgery in the first place. Since I was pre-op she felt she had to weigh in heavily on my particular circumstances in an inappropriate way. The group leader did nothing to reign her in. It got me wondering about how and why people are approved or rejected for this surgery. The Old Me Again - it sounds like your surgeon is very ethical and really wants to ensure you have the best possible outcome to your surgery. While nobody wants to hear they have additional pre-surgery steps, I think one way to look at this is that your surgeon isn't just rubber stamping anyone into the surgery because they want to collect the fees. Your surgeon is being thorough and complete and isn't that a testiment to their skill and competence! I am also a big believer in "things happen for a reason" and that maybe the delay you are experiencing is part of the bigger picture and in the end will be a good thing. (I know it doesn't seem that way right now!) Hang in there, your turn will come!

Great information in this thread. Thanks for posting your story and the pics. In this case a photo speaks a thousand words!

Thanks for posting this. I am post-surgery but very interested in the ins and outs of the psych eval. It was the longest 5 hours of my life! I will enjoy reading this article at work tomorrow. Did they recommend that you get pre-surgery counseling or some other hoop to jump through before being approved? I will tell you that the past 3 months after surgery have been an emotional rollercoaster and if I was still struggling with depression like I was a long time ago, it would have been an even tougher road. I hope your path to surgery is clear soon!

Stalls happen for all sorts of reasons and at any time in the process. I personally stalled in weeks 3 - 5 but have been on a slow but steady weight loss since then. There are some great threads in this forum explaining stalls and what to do to jump start weight loss again. Check them out and see if any of the changes described might help you too.

Often the narcotic pain medications reduce the motility of the bowels and you end up with constipation. If you think you might be headed in that direction a stool softener (colace) is a nice easy on the system way to head off the potential problem. Believe me you don't want to be constipated!

Any swelling or redness? Tight muscles could be from many things not only a DVT.

Congrats! You are an inspiration! Keep up the great work.

I'm still learning to "love" Protein shakes! LOL Seriously, taking away the simple carbohydrates that I craved pre-surgery has allowed me to really learn to enjoy the wonderful summer fruits. Cherries, peaches and watermelon are my favorites. I will admit to eating those stupid orange slice candies. Talk about empty calories! I figured out what I really like is the crystal sugar on the outside of the candy. The good news is I can only eat one or two now where I would have eaten half a bag before starting this process. I wish there was a way to crave only the healthy food, and to view the other stuff as "poison".

My doctor tells his patients to not consume alcohol for 1 year post surgery. It is really common to replace the food addiction with an alcohol addiction and you want to give yourself the best outcome possible. It is possible to go to a party, have a great time and not drink any alcohol.

I am a firm believer that things happen when they are supposed to happen. I had a rough time getting approved by insurance, and then had to plan my surgery around my co-workers vacations. Instead of late March or early April, my surgery was on May 23rd! I understand the desire to move things forward once you have committed to do the surgery. Now that I am 9 weeks post surgery, all is fine and I am meeting my personal goals, the rush and urgency seem unwarranted. Hang in there and everything will fall into place in the appropriate time, and you will understand someday why these trials and tribulations have been put in your path. In the end you will be stronger and better for having survived the challenges!

Congrats on your surgery, you have taken a big step towards better health. Burping is common with this surgery. My doctor had me drinking 10 ml every 15 minutes that I was awake the day after surgery. It sounds like you are heading towards dehydration and if you are still uncomfortable tomorrow you should call your surgeon for advice. I was in the hospital for 4 days and can't imagine being home any earlier, but I know a lot of people have very little time in the hospital following this surgery. Hang in there it gets better I promise!

There are so many fears associated with this surgery and being obese, it takes a lot of courage to pursue this surgery and the lifestyle changes required to lose the weight. First talk your surgical concerns over with your doctor. I asked mine "how will I know if there is a problem with the staples and I am leaking"? He explained the symptoms and what to look for that might indicate a problem - that was comforting because I live over 2.5 hours from the city where I had the surgery, and was afraid to be caught in the boonies with a complication. Second - your food issues will still be front and center if you have the surgery or if you decide not to have surgery. Food and food related events are something that every food addict needs to deal with. I suggest working with a counselor or therapist to learn how to set firm boundaries and to deal with the conflict that will arise by changing your eating habits. I won't lie, it isn't easy. I am 9 weeks post surgery and doing well, but it is a daily struggle against what my brain tells me I "want" to eat and what I know is healthy for me. I am still coming to terms with this life long process, but I am seeing positive results and daily am getting closer to my goal of a healthy body weight and relationship with food. Some friends / family members will be very supportive and other (those who never have struggled with weight) will never get it. Sometimes those unsupportive people have to take a back seat in our lives while we do what we know is best in the long run. Good luck to you, there are a lot of wonderful people on this site that will answer your questions and help you on your journey.

I was off work for 6 weeks, but that appears to be atypical with the other patients on this forum. My doc said take as much time as possible, and I scheduled 5 weeks but needed an extra week. A lot depends on what kind of work you do, is it sedentary or physical. I needed to be able to lift patients and have a clear fog free head, that took a bit longer in my case. Congrats on your surgery date!

Jesser, I was totally afraid of the permanent nature of the surgery, and struggled with the same issues you mention. I spent a lot of time getting "real" with myself about how many times I tried to lose weight, how I was hungry ALL THE TIME, and my emotional eating felt out of control. Once I wrote all those truths down on paper, it was easy to see that I had to do something different. After a lot of research I decided the VGS was the right move for me. I still had second thoughts the night before surgery, AND in the hospital recovering from the surgery, AND in the weeks following when I felt like crap and the world was spinning with vertigo. BUT I stuck with it (not that I had much choice after surgery) and worked hard to balance the Protein, calories and Water intake to find an optimal balance for me. I have lost almost 50 pounds since the beginning of the year, my clothes are loose, my joints feel better, and I never could have done this without the surgery. I still have a long way to go, I'm only 9 weeks post surgery. Only you can make this decision. It is not the "Easy" path, but one that if you follow your doctors instructions can make a huge difference in you life. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. I'm not to the point where I am willing to say this is the best thing I have ever done in my life, but I know I was on a downhill spiral with an early death from obesity staring me in the face. So far I know I made the right decision!

Sleeveland, here is what they said at my WLS class that "stuck" with me because it made so much sense.... The reason for the timing issues on drinking water is to help manage hunger. Picture a funnel with applesauce in it, the semi-solid applesauce goes through the spout slowly because it is so thick. Now picture adding water to the applesauce. It will "slide" through the spout much faster because it is thinner and not as dense. Drinking water while we are eating will cause the stomach to empty faster and we will get hungry sooner. If you wait for 90 minutes after starting a meal to drink more than a swallow or two of water, then your stomach has been full for a while and the hunger response / feedback with the brain has a chance to work, and you will be less likely to "graze" or eat outside of your scheduled meals. Again I hope this is helpful!

I am an ultrasound technologist in Northern California. I agree there seems to be a lot of people in the health profession on this site. Good luck with your surgery.