linda welker

Do you have photos? You are (or were as of this date) where I want to be. Would love to see before and after. Am 62. 5'5". Started at 248
6 months before approved. Lost only 20 in those months, but 8 lbs in one week prior to sleeve. Sleeved Jan 15 (two weeks ago). Feel great now; am 211 for total of -37 lbs. had a great surgical experience & recovery and feel so good.
My Goal is 135-140. Trying to figure out how best to get there both fast and safely. Tips?

My sleeve is the day after yours, and I feel EXACTLY like you. I woke up this am in a panic thinking "is it too late to pull out?". I calmed down, but still am bracing myself. Somebody, please tell us that it won't be so bad!!

It will get better after a few days....I remember when they cleared me to start clear fluids and just sipping my 1oz of Water per hour was nasty...I would just get waves of pain that would start in my abdomen and go right up my chest and my stomach would gurgle and churn away...This was day 2 post op, and by day 3 around noon things were getting better. Good luck and I'm sure you'll feel better after a few days...just hang in there!
Edit - Someone suggested on the forums here to try breathing out when you swallow so not as much air goes down. That did help for me!

I have ALL of those feelings. Sleeving on 1-15.

I had a different reaction altogether. In fact, I was so fascinated I watched several and a couple more than once. People are different, I realize. But for me, knowing what to expect demystified it for me. Hearing the doctors narrate what they were doing was educational and actually assuring. Their voices were steady and confident. They have done it so many times. am still nervous about being sleeved in a couple weeks, so I'm not breezing through this.
You know know psychologists help people deal with their fears via exposure therapy. It feels kind of like that to be. But good luck to you. I wish you peace.

I had a different reaction altogether. In fact, I was so fascinated I watched several and a couple more than once. People are different, I realize. But for me, knowing what to expect demystified it for me. Hearing the doctors narrate what they were doing was educational and actually assuring. Their voices were steady and confident. They have done it so many times. am still nervous about being sleeved in a couple weeks, so I'm not breezing through this.
You know know psychologists help people deal with their fears via exposure therapy. It feels kind of like that to be. But good luck to you. I wish you peace.

You cannot feel a void, as I think everything just settles nicely back into place and no phantom limb syndrome..
The pain that you feel is mostly from the incision sites. Now your stomach will be making all sorts of noises but for the most part is numb, that's why it is so important to measure liquids and Proteins carefully. You will not feel fullness for several weeks sometimes.

Can you actually tell there is a void in that section where the removed stomach was. And is there any pain sensation emanating from the cutting and stapling of the stomach. (or is it just the holes that hurt)

Actually, if you did not have some sort of fear at having 75% of your stomach removed you wouldn't be normal. It is very scary and very permanent.

Let me tell you, it is so worth it. I am a little over a month out from my surgery and I feel great. Your stomach feels as if you just finish eating at an all you can eat buffet, stuffed, but all you have consumed is a half cup of no fat cottage cheese. I seem to want to eat things that I need to fuel my body instead of what tastes and looks good. I love being in control of portions.......because my stomach makes me be in control.

Good luck.........exciting.

I'm with laura, you will fill up very fast - especially during the first month. Your new stomach will still be swollen and you won't be able to hold very much at one sitting. Other than the amount I could eat, I didn't notice my missing stomach.
It was like a dream come true for me. Swapping from eating 1lb or more of food per meal to eating only a couple of teaspoons to make me feel full gave me a lot of joy. Although as my new stomach healed I could eat more at a meal, at 12 months, I only eat 1 to 1 1/2 cups per meal.
Oh, and you won't get that gradual "oooh I'm getting full" feeling. I go from, "I can eat one more bite" to "Too full!" in just one bite. So I had to eat small bites until I learned how much I could safely eat before getting too full. I quickly learned, after a few "one bite too many" meals, to pay attention to how much and how fast I was eating. :-P
You might check out my blog post about it: http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31139-5-weeks-post-op-still-teaching-myself-to-eat-slowly/

You get full very fast....

Thanks for providing this helpful comment. Your reflection is concrete and nicely descriptor. Thanks for taking time to write.

You won't feel your stomach is "missing". Your brain knows it isn't there, but it doesn't feel any different.
I was surprised at how quickly I fill up - I'm amazed that 1/2 an egg and 1/2 a turkey sausage patty fills me up at Breakfast time. It's surreal the first few times you sit down to a meal and you think, "seriously, this is all I get?" Then you leave some on the plate because you can't finish it.
I felt empowered once I started adding food into my diet. Empowered because I know that 1/4 cup of food is going to fill me up and I don't feel like crap from doing the latest fad diet.
It's an amazing process.

I am near the end of my six months a d it has seed endless. I have one more month, but no assurance after that that the insurance will come through. I had to force myself to take things more slowly. To chill. And that hurt my weight loss momentum. Was so enthusiastic, but lost that. Now I maintain a measured cautiousness because I just don't know for sure about the insurance. Been there with you!! Still there for a while. Best.