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mdslc

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Posts posted by mdslc


  1. On 4/14/2019 at 8:05 AM, Vikingsfan8178 said:

    Hi all

    I haven’t been on this page in a long time but I need some help.

    I had my sleeve surgery back in 2015 and accomplished every goal I wanted. Great weight loss, improved health, improved vitality, and best of all, I felt great about myself for the first time in years.

    Here I am in 2019, not far from my annual follow up, and I feel HORRIBLE about myself. I have gained some weight back (not all, but enough to bother me).

    I feel extremely embarrassed about it and I feel like I have failed myself. I thought I had been feeling tired & down lately because of stress, but I am almost positive I figured it out this weekend. It is my self esteem.

    Anyone else been at this point and any advice on how to recover?

    @Vikingsfan8178

    So much in common...

    VSG on 7/12/15 391 lbs presurgery / 362 lbs day of surgery / 220 goal weight and attained 214 lbs just before 1yr mark. Life was good for 3 solid years. Last year I lost my job, was unemployed for 4 months, found a good job that had a very intense 6 month training program - the last 12 months has been VERY stressful - Yes I fell off the wagon. It actually started when I got kidney stones - was told to ease off the Protein, then a few months later I got gout for the first time in my life (im 41) on my right big toe - wow that is painful - again told to ease off protein.

    Here I am 4 years and 6 days post op and have many of the feelings described above. Today I called and made an appointment with the nutritionist. I am currently 280 lbs. I am still down a ton of weight but I feel like Sh*t. The sole reason I came back to this forum is for the support described above - I feel and see my weight but those around me dont feel like its a big deal, gained almost all of it in the past year - very discouraging.

    I still have restriction, the tool is not gone. One regular plate of food and I am almost always full - which wasn't the case pre surgery. I will be doing the 5 day reset then going from there. Keep your head up - you (we) can do it!


  2. I was sleeved on 7/13 and also stalled, please know this is quite normal. If you do a search for 3-week stall you should find all kinds of results. My doc explained it this way, the first few weeks you will drop about 10% of your weight and then stall. This is due for two reasons, first your body is burning all simple carbs you have stored up in your body and allows your body to go into ketosis, which is where your body starts burning stored fat instead of calories, because we are hardly eating. Second, your organs need to shrink because they are enlarged. The single reason we are on a pre-op diet is to shrink our enlarged fat covered liver. When we lose weight quickly the organs need time to recover. That's at least what I was told.

    Just as a side not, After I broke through my 3-week stall I dropped another 10lbs in 5 days, stick to the plan and stay away from carbs, caffeine, soda etc and it will work. I am 6 weeks 1 day out today and have lost 51lbs since surgery with a stall of 2 weeks.


  3. Last week or so I have been having aches and pains and I cannot seem to eat or drink as much as before.

    I have only been able to eat about half as much in the past week as I was before, during the first two weeks.

    I spoke to the doctor and they said since I don't have fever and have not been vomiting it is not too much cause for concern, but I don't know.

    Really having buyer's remorse. I have just been feeling awful for the most part.

    I feel like I should be feeling better everyday.

    Has anyone has a lapse in their recovery and started to feel worse?

    How is your Water intake? How many ounces per day? You said it is half as much as before, if that is the case, you might be dehydrated. I know a few people (from support groups) that were not keeping up on the Water and got dehydrated. They ended up in their favorite local ER getting an IV. Afterwards they felt great, but it got so bad that had to go to the hospital. If you are having trouble drinking this would be the first thing I would check. Here are some symptoms, dry mouth, fatigue, depression, dark urine, shallow skin, headache. If you can't drink much, start with ice chips, sugar free popsicles etc, to get in Fluid without "drinking", but depending on how bad, might need to go get IV. just my thoughts, good luck.

    Also, being from UT myself, don't let @@Honeywilson ruffle your feathers, she's from ID, not much room to talk :P


  4. Hi all,

    I have two question for you. I am currently 29 days post op. I am feeling pretty good and the incisions have healed well. I do however have one incision next to the belly button that is larger than the rest that they use for the larger tools and to remove the stomach from. My doctor put in a single stitch to keep the abdominal wall muscle together to prevent hernia from occurring while I healed, he says he does this to most if not all vsg patients, kind of a better safe than sorry approach. What he can't control is the fact the dissolvable stitch is place in/on a nerve, so sneezing, laughing, coughing standing, sitting etc. etc. really tugs on it and it hurts like hell, sharp burn not fun.

    Has anyone else had this happen?

    How long did it take before it "dissolved" and you could move without pain?

    It is really hampering the workout efforts..

    I did see surgeon, he said it could take up to six months.


  5. As a very private person I only told my wife, kids, supervisor, and two co-workers. That's it. My wife and kids knew months before surgery. I told work people after insurance had approved the surgery and I just needed a few more classes and then get my date of surgery. It's a pretty personal thing and I only told who I felt I could really trust not to say anything for the same reasons you mentioned above, not ashamed, just private. My recommendation would be to talk to people when you are comfortable, you have plenty of time before your surgery, so when the time is right and you feel like saying it, go for it. What surprised me, is when I told everyone including work folks they were amazingly supportive and non-judgmental. Good luck to you.

    Forgot to mention, I received short term disability benefits from work, I needed to tell them 30 days prior to surgery, which may or may not be normal, this is just how they do it.


  6. I have had so many people that say you dont need surgery. Or even people that say you're taking the easy way out. UMMM by reading what I have read so far about this surgery...it is not the easy way out! I wish people realized what all I will have to go thru. And I absolutely need this surgery, if not for my health, for my sanity. I cannot stand the person I have become. Cant find anything to wear, my closet full of cute clothes dont fit, I have gained 50 lbs in 10 months, cant bend down to shave my legs for crying out loud, dont want to have sex with hubby of 20 years, I cut my hair off because I am too lazy to fix it, out of breath, dont want to go to parties or summer events involving bathing suit.....the NEED for surgery is crutial to my mental well being. I feel so excited about my surgery and I want to shout it to the roof tops. Then when I do I get this reaction. What a bummer! People are so mean some times.

    As a guy I felt so disappointed in myself with the person I allowed myself to become. I saw a few pictures of myself from the holidays last year and could not believe what I saw, then I got on the scale and almost passed out. I personally felt like this was the easy way out and that I was a failure for not being able to control my weight. Then I met with a psychologist and dietitian a few times for pre-op approval. That was the most humbling and spiritual experience I felt in a long time. This is just another tool that some people need to lose and keep weight off. I also haven't told many people and I still don't care to. It's a personal decision and one you should be very proud of. Losing weight, getting self confidence and being more fit, active and healthy are what I look forward too. When people ask me how I am losing weight, I just tell them I started eating less, I'm still being honest with them, I just neglect to tell them I had most of my stomach removed ;). Remember, you did this for you and your health, who cares what people think.


  7. My first post-op appointment was 3 weeks after surgery. It was pretty standard, blood pressure, weight etc. The biggest thing they were concerned with was incision site healing and if I was able to swallow ok and if I was having gas and or bowel movements, my appointment lasted only about 15 minutes most was just conversation. They shouldn't be too worried about weight loss yet as you are still healing. Good luck.


  8. I did not/do not have this issue but I was warned pre-op this could happen. After surgery you develop scar tissue around the stomach and that could lead to a restriction near the bottom of the esophagus / top of the stomach area. I was told that this happened I would need to come back into the office immediately and they would put a tube down into the esophagus and expand a small balloon which would expand the scar tissue called Esophageal Dilation, the symptom is called Benign Esophageal Stricture or Esophageal Stricture. I would call your doctor's office right away and tell them the trouble you are having and ask to get in asap. Goodluck.


  9. Thank you for asking this keddykat75, because I am 2 weeks out and so discouraged. I lost 10 lbs the 1st week after surgery but the scale hasn't moved the past 7 days. It's discouraging because I'm eating so little - how can I not lose weight?

    This is normal, search for 3 week plateau, most people get it and some get it early, I was one also. The scale didn't move for 12 days then I dropped 10 lbs in 4 days. My doctor said as you lose weight your organs need to recover and shrink with your body, that takes time. Stick with it, it will come off I promise. ( I know it is frustrating, but it will happen).


  10. Keddykat, my doctor told me many factors go into the initial weight loss. After surgery while I was in recovery my surgeon told my wife I would lose 10% of my weight in the next 30 days. I actually lost that weight in 17 days, (wahoo!!) That said, during a consultation pre-op he said many lose little the first few days (week?) because the body is in shock and once you leave the hospital (fluids from IV) it is hard to get Fluid in. Once you are able to drink more it will come off for sure, just keep with it. And yes the gas pains suck, they should only last a few days.


  11. July 13th. Starting pre-op diet tomorrow, 1k cals or less and dont eat like an idiot. low-fat, low-carb high Protein foods.

    Can't wait to shed the fat suit, good luck all.

    Had surgery on Monday the 13th and left the hospital the next day. Five incisions plus drain site for six total. My largest incision is next to my belly button, while the incision itself is only about 1.5 inches the abdominal muscle wall cut is about 4.5 inches long, that goes right to left. All the other sites feel fine and are just sore, however the large site and large cut in muscle hurts like hell. I can hardly stand, sit, cough or sneeze without major pain, also when standing this site has a large indentation from where the muscle should be, but its not, yet. This site and muscle below is spread for stomach removal and other things during surgery, and had the most manipulation. I have used an ace bandage for support of this area which has also helped. I have called my surgeon and was prescribed a muscle relaxer that has helped a lot. This is normal for the technique of my surgeon, which may be different for many of you. Everyday it gets a little better, I would like to know if anyone else has had the issues I have outlined above. I wish you all the best of luck and quick healing.

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