Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

bellabloom

Gastric Bypass Patients
  • Content Count

    2,351
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    5

Everything posted by bellabloom

  1. bellabloom

    My story - lost 120lbs

    What happened to me is very rare. Usually it goes in the opposite direction- sleeve to bypass. In my car my surgeon made my intestine too short and one of them wasn't working so he reversed my bypass and then made it into a sleeve. This is not common. It yes it happened to me. It also left me with a lot of scar tissue because If the way he put my stomach back together. Bypass surgery is reversible because your old stomach is left inside, it's just sewn off and not utilized. It can therefore be reversed. Sleeve surgery is non reversible. The stomach portion removed is thrown away.
  2. My weight goal keeps moving down. When is enough enough! I am addicted to seeing the scale continue to drop and I can't seem to reach a point I feel okay with maintaining. I'm 5'6 at 125. Anyone else dealing with this?
  3. I have had two weightloss surgeries. First gastric bypass. I had complications so the revised me to a sleeve. Now I have a stricture with scar tissue. They did a dilation yesterday and today I threw up just as usual. I haven't been able to eat solids in 7 months. I've lost 120 pounds, am now underweight, and the backs of my legs have started going numb. Vitamins make me throw up like everything else. Has anyone had stricture dialations and had it work for them? I am so scared this is not going to work for me and they are talking about converting me back to bypass. I can't imagine the idea. Nor can I have a stent as I hear they are very painful and I refuse to go back on narcotics as it was so difficult for me to get off of them after spending four months in the hospital on diladid. I feel like I'm losing hope.
  4. bellabloom

    So scared with this stricture

    Hahahahahaha. It's possible. Trust me I'm living with it. First they gave me a bypass. Then the "undid" it by putting my intestines back and re connecting my old stomach. Then they cut that into a sleeve. Why the hell would I want attention on the Internet? Please what would be the point?? I'm not fear mongering. This shit happened to me. Dr David Thoman, Santa Barbara. My new surgeon who has been working with me to fix this and had done multiple dialations is Dr Swartz of Fresno. It's hurtful and rude for you to accuse me of lying. If your doing that because you're afraid to hear anything bad about this surgery you're fooling yourself. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Oh and Babbs? Stay off my threads. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  5. bellabloom

    I'm sleeved, and I dump. Yup it's true!

    You obviously don't have dumping or you wouldn't be "thankful" for it. And yes, you can get dumping from a Protein Shake. If it has too much sugar or fat or the Fluid empties into your lower intestine Too fast and there is any sugar at all. Dumping isn't "feeling like crap from junk food." It f**king sucks. I'm 120 pounds and I dump so I know I'm eating right okay? I'm not living on junk food. Rude post. I love how people that don't suffer from something think that understand it. Let's see if you're still sticking to your nut diet in a year. And if I stuck to my nuts recommended diet of low carb and 1200 calories ... Wait for it... I'd be dead of starvation by now. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  6. I've been debating wether to post on this. I've decided to because I've felt very alone on this forum as it seems there aren't many wls patients who have also struggled with this type of eating disorder and I want to share my experience in case anyone is out there and afraid to speak up about this issue. I've had an eating disorder for about 15 years. I've gone through periods of anorexia, bulimia, and obsessive binge eating. My weight has gone from average(145-150) to overweight (250) to now underweight at 115. Five years before I had wls surgery I went through a rough period of bulimia/ binge eating and sought out treatment. I was in a 30 day outpatient program. It helped me get past bulimia but I was never able to stop compulsive binge eating which got me up to my highest weight and lead me towards wls. I knew going into this that wls surgery could trigger my eating disorder and it has, big time. I am now truly anorexic with some bulimic behaviors also, and although I've been telling myself when I get to goal weight I will eat to maintain that is simply not happening. My goal weight keeps dropping and I'm sure I'm not going to be able to stop losing on my own. I've been in weekly therapy with an eating disorder therapist and dietician since I had surgery and sadly it just hasn't been enough to keep me from slipping into this. She has been watching me literally waste away for months now and is very concerned. While my BMI is still technically in the normal range, I've recently begun losing about 3 pounds per week again because I've simply stopped trying to maintain and it's only going to go downhill from here. I look in the mirror and I can see all of my ribs and my body looks like a little girls. But as soon as I walk away from the mirror I feel fat again and want to lose more. Body dysmorphia is a real thing. For me the issue is complicated, wrapped up in fear of regaining, a deep sense of satisfaction and safety in seeing the scale drop, anxiety around most foods and the inability to see how thin I've gotten and feel comfortable in my skin. Dieting and losing weight is the way I feel in control of my life, and eating is an emotional comfort that goes very deep in me and leads me into guilt and an ugly cycle of feeling guilty about food even in small portions. Being overweight in this world is very difficult. I was tortured about it as a child and simply equated my own self worth with my weight regardless of health and logic. Having an eating disorder is an indescribable horror. It consumes your life and makes it impossible to function normally and be successful and happy. I promised myself that if I got to this point where I felt out of control and in a full fledged relapse I would admit myself into treatment before it took over my life again and I hurt myself. Being post wls I feel like I'm already fragile enough and to be unable to adequately eat is putting me at major risk for serious health issues. It's gotten so bad lately I'm having trouble even taking in Water and I'm resistant to Vitamins, basically I'm unable to care for myself correctly. Thoughts about food and weight take up all of my attention and I'm suffering in my relationships, work, family life, etc. I'm going to go into a live in therapy program for 30-90 days and hopefully get past this so I can enjoy my life and maintain my weight in the future. If there is anyone out there struggling with an eating disorder I'd love to chat with you. I'm grateful for the support I've received on this forum from so many wonderful people and though I may not post for awhile my heart is with you all in your journey.
  7. bellabloom

    I'm sleeved, and I dump. Yup it's true!

    I've dumped from clam chowder before too too much fat. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  8. bellabloom

    Hair loss at 3 months post-op. HELP!

    Just say goodbye. Goodbye hair. See you next year. (( Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  9. I could drink fine after surgery although it was about 6 months before I did. Now at 1.5 years out I can barely have a glass of wine without getting drunk. Also the hangovers are brutal. The further out I get the less I can handle alcohol. I've pretty much stopped drinking. But a sip or two is okay. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  10. bellabloom

    I'm sleeved, and I dump. Yup it's true!

    I don't vomit or have diarrhea. I get horrible horribly nauseated to the point I cannot move, just curl in a ball. My heart races and my stomach cramps but no pooping. I sweat and if it's really bad I have huge amounts of urination. (15-20 times in 30 minutes with floods of pee ) It's very similar to hypoglycemia. Afterwards I'm exhausted and dehydrated and sometimes hungry. This happens about 3-4 times per week. It can be brought on by sugar, fat, too much food volume, drinking after a meal. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  11. bellabloom

    1.5 year Update -with pics.

    That's a nice thought and thank you for your care but no. My symptoms are starvation related. Sweating and hot flashes was from being overweight. I'm constantly cold now because I'm not eating enough to warm my body. When you reduce calories for this long your metabolism slows down conserve energy and your body temperature is lower. Your heart also slows down resulting in poor circulation. I also have very low body fat! Racing heart is a symptom of dumping. Hair loss, cold, low heart rate, weight loss : anorexia. Also my legs went numb from the knees down last year but that went away thank goodness. Last year I only ate 100-500 calories per day. Now I'm eating 1000-2000. It varies a lot. As you can see I'm quite thin. No body fat left at this point. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  12. bellabloom

    Anorexia treatment :(

    Thanks everyone. I just started treatment again in my town and I think it's going to really help. They aren't super crazy intense like the place I went last December. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  13. bellabloom

    I'm sleeved, and I dump. Yup it's true!

    No. It sucks. It's horrible. It's a bad thing. Trust me. I dump ALL THE TIME. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  14. bellabloom

    1.5 year Update -with pics.

    It is a hard question for me. Do I regret surgery? No. Would I do it again. I really don't know. Probably. Number one thing to take away from my post: do as VSG Anne has done. Put yourself into therapy from day one. This is a major life decision. Weigh not just yourself- but all your options. I would never recommend doing this if you are currently healthy and only mildly over weight. I do not believe BMI 40 is overweight enough for this drastic measure to be taken. There is a very good chance you will not lose much weight, or that you will regain if you go into this with the wrong mindset. Here are some pluses and minuses for me: Plus: I am able to walk and run without difficulty. I have a very physical job that I am now capable of doing much more easily. I can squat and jump etc which I could not do before. I do not sweat profusely like I used to. I look quite attractive and can wear almost any clothing I wish. Some people treat me differently (better) due to my appearance. I don't have to worry about binge eating huge amounts -my surgery stops me. If I eat I have very good energy. Cons: I'm uncomfortable eating 80% of foods. If I am not very careful I will vomit. I dump at least 3-4 times a week which involves excessive nausea and urination, drop in blood pressure, heart palpitations, sweating and flushing. It is brought on by foods high in both fat and sugar and is very hard to predict when it will Happen. I still have bad back pain. I still am hungry if I do not eat 1800 or more calories. I am very tired either from dumping, vomiting, or simply not eating enough. Eating causes a great deal of stress for me. If I eat too fast or don't chew enough I throw up and it is difficult for me to eat around people for this reason. I always become very stressed with family meals. I try but I still end up having to vomit at least 2-4 times a week. My eating disorder is triggered by all this. I have huge anxiety around eating and weight gain. I still don't feel thin enough. I have body dysmorphia from being overweight and I still feel overweight much of the time. I have bradycardia (low heart rate). I have lost half my hair. I am freezing cold all the time. I have to sleep with a heat pad. Some people treat me worse or differently when they don't know my history. They assume I am naturally thin. My dating life sucks because when men discover my baggage they don't want to deal with it, or they are freaked out when I don't eat enough. Or they become obsessed with me and fixate on my looks. I spend too much money on clothes lol. Just grains of salt for you all to think about. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  15. bellabloom

    1.5 year Update -with pics.

    Thank you Pam. Yes I do wish I had addressed my eating disorder before surgery but I was in remission at the time. I had addressed it five years before with a partial hospitalization program where I stayed for a month and had intensive therapy. I had been in remission for five years although looking back I was still binge and emotionally eating which is the most common issue for us obese eating disorder people. If I had chosen to go back into therapy before surgery I doubt I would have had surgery at all. I would have chosen to love and accept my body for what it was and embraced healthier eating habits that I believe would have allowed me to gradually lose weight until I was at least not longer obese. But that's not what I did. I wrote this post because I hope to encourage more people to go this route before having surgery because this surgery is incredibly difficult, risky, and only a short term solution. I am currently in eating disorder therapy again and there are two other patients in my group that have also had weight loss surgery. This survey does not fix an underlying disorder and if you have an eating disorder it will worsen it. This surgery is a temporary fix only and yes it will give you a shove in the weight loss direction but it is only temporary!! There are some people who are overweight who do not have eating disorders. But the vast majority do have some sort of disordered eating mentality that takes them to an obese BMI. I strongly encourage you to ask yourself if surgery alone will be enough once your hunger returns and why you are overeating in the first place. Our bodies do not like to be deprived from food and when we restrict our calories and underfeed ourselves, no matter our weight, our bodies fight back. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  16. bellabloom

    I'm sleeved, and I dump. Yup it's true!

    People: get your information straight. You CAN DUMP with a sleeve. And it's brutal. Any surgery that removes a portion of your stomach can cause dumping. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  17. bellabloom

    Anorexia treatment :(

    Update: I have bottomed out again and am in a major relapse of my eating disorder, triggered by surgery and fear of weight gain. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App
  18. I'd like to start a post for pictures that focuses on before and at goal (or near to goal) pictures only. I think it's really fun to see the complete transformation and super motivating!! It's awesome for those on the journey to see the end results! Showing the incredible results this surgery and hard work can provide. I'd love to see all of your photos so please post with your stats- start weight, end weight and height. Here's mine. Start weight 250 ish End weight 117 Height 5'
  19. Oh man. Get a good curl enhancing product and a hair dryer with a diffuser to enhance the frizz into curls. I bet you look pretty with curly hair. My hair broke off all over and I look like I have a mullet.
  20. bellabloom

    OK...I drank the Kool-Aid

    I'm very curious to hear wether this works. Although I think carbs contribute to hunger due to the effect on blood sugar...

PatchAid Vitamin Patches

×