churchgirl

Unfortunately, yes, all totaled.?

Hey Purple Girl, I am so sorry you are going through all of this. I am one year almost - 6/5/18 and while I am not sorry I had the surgery, I am so disappointed that I only have a 15 pound total loss to show for it. I started out great right afterward and lost 40 pounds from the surgery investigation start date but eventually, I figured out my way around the limiting the food you eat by grazing - just eating further apart so you don't get really over full. Which basically is where I started in the first place. Surgery really is only a tool just like everything else and unfortunately, I failed this test too. Never got around the reasons I was eating the way I was in the first place and even though I knew going in that my head needed surgery more than my stomach, I am so disappointed in myself. It felt so good to lose and get smaller clothes and feel better. I am going to counseling and also found out that the anti-anxiety meds I have been on for 15 years causes appetite increase. I also have been diagnosed as ADD! That wasn't even invented when I was a kid! LOL! I think that's why I have such a hard time planning and staying on track but honestly, I don't hold out much hope for the weight loss I was hoping for. And I will not have any other surgery. It's not the stomach/bypass, etc. It's the head. But that's not really the point of your question. I am really sorry you are going through so much. I can't say that I would be happy for the weight loss you have had if I had to go through feeling sick all of the time. One of the main reasons I had the surgery is that I HATE throwing up so I figured it would work because I would do everything I could not to be sick. That didn't work. But it seems so unfair that you are sick like this. I hope your doctor can figure this out for you! Prayers coming your way!

Baseball Mom, I had the sleeve surgery in June of 2018 & even before it, I wondered why I thought this would work because food was always my drug of choice in battling depression & anxiety. And, of course, 40 pounds lost later, I am right back to my old bad habits. I don’t eat til it hurts but I graze which is easy to do once you figure out you just have to wait until you’re not full. So, I finally took some advice from people on this site as well as the nurse practitioner who made me go for another psych eval because I was “sabotaging” myself. And I’m so glad I did! First of all, I don’t know if you’re taking meds but I found out the ones I take cause increased appetite & cravings for carbs! And the combination I take was actually making me functionally depressed but “flatlined ”. No enthusiasm, no get up & go! I just didn’t care! But in my head & heart I really do! So first, talk to a psychiatrist- not your primary care doctor! You need a psychiatrist to evaluate & monitor meds. Then I learned that I don’t have a “weight problem” as I’ve been told all my life - I have an eating disorder! I thought eating disorders were just bulemia or anorexia. I’m a compulsive over eater! And now I have started going to a counselor who specializes in eating disorders, my meds are monitored by a psychiatrist, & I’m attending Oveteaters Anonymous. I was told before surgery that the sleeve was just a tool & I would still have to work at loosing but I figured that I hated vomiting so much, I would never mess this up! Well, once I realized I could eat normal food again, I started right back into my previous bad habits! So now I know, you have to deal with the WHYS first! Why do I eat the way I do? Why am I sabotaging myself? And the only answer to that is therapy! You really should get help, it’s the only answer. Good luck & know I’m praying for you! I’ll keep you posted. Contact me anytime! Donna

Okay, just spilled my guts about totally screwing up from my 6/5/18 surgery & how I was gaining weight back & hopeless! So, in response to myself, I’m in - 10 days later - to this March challenge! Goal - lose the 10 pounds I gained since my lowest weight of 217 in July 2018. And go to a counselor! Best morning- prayer time, hot tea, & being fully awake because I went to bed on time for a change! 3 words to describe me - friendly, funny, lovin’ the Lord! Pray for me!

Dear Getback, You are the answer to my prayers as I have been trying to find a forum or advice column to answer the same question! I knew from the get go that my weight problem was more in my head than in my stomach. And I really debated about having the surgery because I worried that I might go back to my old habits of grazing & having no control over carbs (especially sweets). Nothing ever stopped me before but I figured the fear of vomiting if I overate and having a greatly restricted stomach size would be the catalysts to finally help me take off the 100 pounds I needed to lose. The first three months after surgery were great. I lost 40 pounds, watched everything I ate, and generally did everything right. But slowly, I began to add things back into my diet - especially carbs. I had no problems with any foods except bread because I ate too fast & it got stuck. And I learned that, if I got full fast, I just had to wait an hour & I could eat again! So, of course, I was right. It was never about my stomach, it’s about my head. And the reasons I eat & the fact that I cannot pay attention or be that mindful to ANYTHING long enough to make it a habit. I really believe that I have Attention Deficit Disorder - it wasn’t “invented” when I was a kid! But I have every symptom & sticking to just eating high protein, small portions meant a lot of planning. I don’t think I’ll ever get that back again. And yes, I can blame a lot of this on the surgery coinciding with the most stressful times of my life ever - taking care of my elderly parents & having to put them in assisted living & the death of my oldest brother by heroin overdose. A job promotion & much more responsibility along with losing a friend because of the promotion, parents in & out of the hospital & being the only adult child around who could “handle” everything - the past two years have been a nightmare. And I thought having surgery would make me healthier to be able to handle taking care of everyone else. It did for a while but no more. Okay, TMI & I’m not really answering your question but what I have decided to do is go to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting & try & find someone for counseling as my Physicians Assistant recommended. I don’t have a lot of hope right now because I feel like I’m right back where I started from but I just can’t give up because those first few months were so good & I felt so great being able to fit in smaller clothes for the first time in 31 years. I had such hope. I wonder every day if I’ll ever get it back again. I hope you can find the strength & solution to get back on the journey of taking care of you! I will keep you posted. And if you find any good advice anywhere, let me know!

I was seriously considering bypass surgery until my surgeon said NO IBUPROFEN if I have bypass but perfectly OK with the sleeve. I have a bad disk in my back. I take Advil all of the time and have had no problem at all. Sleeved in June 2018.

Mine were never covered either. Glued.

This topic is very interesting to me because I started experiencing hair loss in October - big time! Went to my Nurse Practitioner yesterday for usual check and she said I should not be experiencing hair loss because it only happens when you've had significant weight loss like over 70 lbs. She said it's probably my thyroid. I've lost 40 since surgery in June. She did blood work to test my thyroid and it looks okay to me! My TSH 2.330 u[IU]/mL Normal is 0.270 - 4.200 u[IU]/mL Another mystery to solve

Dear Lovin2lose I’m 4 months post op, down 30 lbs. i joined weight watchers at one month post op mainly for the accountability. The free points program is working for my friends but my Nurse Practitioner told me that WW is not good for anyone having Bariatric Surgery. The plan actually requires you to eat much more than you’re supposed to any time after surgery. I ended up leaving because I was spending a lot of money to get weighed every week but not really following the program. Really not learning anything new & then they changed the program after I was in for 3 months! Though I know it works for some people, it seems that at least 99% of the people in any of the WW groups I have joined over the years have reached goal & then gained all of the weight back - and then some. I really liked the leader but weight watchers is a HUGE profit making industry that is very expensive as are all of their foods, snacks, gadgets, etc. And constantly changing the program costs people even more! NP told me to follow the plan given by the nutritionist - 3 meals, no in between, and 1/2 a protein shake if I get hungry in between. She actually said, at 3 months post op, that I should still be eating with the small cups - 3 ounces of food. I haven’t done that in weeks and it seemed crazy to me mostly because I seem to be able to eat pretty much anything I want. I do have problems with bread types of food like bagels, pizza crust, rice, etc. They seem to expand in my throat- probably not chewing enough. So, bottom line for me is WW is useless for Bariatric Surgery people. That said, I would be remiss in not mentioning that I am in big trouble because I feel myself slipping back into my old bad habits & addictions again. Life has been extremely stressful since the surgery but I know I can’t use that as an excuse. I think I should have had brain surgery instead of sleeve surgery! I started out so great but never dealt with the emotional, mental, & habitual reasons I’ve always eaten the way I do. I am so disappointed in myself & so angry that I went through all of this surgery only to lose 30 pounds. I don’t regret the surgery & I guess I should be happy because I haven’t lost weight in years but reality is that I needed to lose at least 100 to get to a healthy, non obese weight. I am losing hope.?

I loved your post! Thanks for your insights! I am going to hold on to this!