yerawizardamy

This recipe saved my life during the puree stage!!! Bless Eggface. I also love her Bento Box Lunches and "A day in my pouch" posts! It's a quality blog!

Yes, I definitely understand. I struggle with cravings and missing certain foods a lot, and I know for several weeks after my surgery (I'm only 5 weeks out mind you), I was an emotional wreck. Keep in mind as we lose weight, the estrogen flooding our body is definitely not helping the moodiness. I also believe that not getting enough calories/nutrition doesn't help matters at all. I started going to a therapist once a week and while its a little pricey, it has helped me tremendously. I've never seen a therapist in my life and never thought I would need to, but it really does help a lot!!

It took me about 4 weeks to really start feeling better. The first two weeks were absolute hell, mentally and physically. The puree stage was also terrible and I pray I never have to go back to that! I'm noticing how much more energy I have now (even more than before the surgery) and I love it. I know it's really hard right now and the last thing you want to hear is "Keep your chin up!" But it will get better, each day is usually a little better than the last. ????

I 100% had this same feeling. Unlike a lot of people who have had this surgery, I didn't hate myself and I never thought I was "gross" or "ugly". Once I started the process of WLS though, I definitely went through a long phase of feeling hideous and not wanting to go out or see anyone because they would see how fat I am. Of course, I looked the same as I always did, but I think once I realized that being as overweight as I was/am was not an option to live a healthy life and my blinders had been removed, I could no longer pretend or ignore that I had to get healthy and I had to do something about it. The further away from surgery I get, the more I exercise and eat healthy, the better I feel about myself. Losing weight is a bonus. The feeling will pass but yes, I totally understand what you're feeling.

I've hit a stall as well. Sucks! But I'm just gonna keep doing what I normally do and hopefully it'll break soon. I'm going to a wedding in March and it would be nice to have lost some more weight by then.

I don't have cable, but I have seen previews for it and I was annoyed too! It turns out that one of the trainers on there is from my hometown. He and his wife (both blonde and from Vero Beach, FL) are "hot sh!t" gym owners and are very well known in our community. I've always thought they were annoying. Which trainer was on tonight's show?

I've seen you post a link for this thread many times, and I've just gone searching for it now that I've officially hit my "three week stall". I was hoping that I would be special but alas, here I am. I'm not worried about it, really. I know that what I've been (or haven't been) doing is a big factor. I guess this stall was the kick in the pants that I needed to really get serious about exercise/water/protein.

I have this sweater type of shirt I bought about a year ago, it has zippers on the side for decoration and they also unzip if you want them to. Just this November/December I was out of clean clothes so I put it on, and realized I had to have it unzipped so it wouldn't be so tight!! I tried it on again this morning and I was able to zip it up (well, down) all the way! With room to spare! Even my boss said "oh hey, you have it zipped! That's great!" I had to laugh at that! ????

I started at 470lbs and 5'10" - I am three weeks post op and 5 weeks since starting my pre-op diet, which was only two weeks of Atkins and three days liquids, and I'm already down 50lbs. I was worried about it too, but since I am young, active, and willing to put in the work, I went with the sleeve. In most long term studies, total weight loss is nearly the same between the VSG and RNY - with RNY the weight loss is "faster" but for me, the extra 30ish pounds of weight loss wasn't worth the rerouting of my intestines. Keep in mind that your surgeon will suggest what works best for you based on your health history, comorbidities (if any), and other health/personal factors.

Yes, I'd love to check out those podcasts too!

Congrats!!! Such a good feeling when those pants zip all the way up!!! ????????????????????????????????????????????????

If you can find one, a grabber thingy! You know those things that are long and have a claw or something similar at then end of it to help disabled people reach things on the ground or high up? It was very painful to bend over (plus you're supposed to avoid it) to pick up anything that might have fallen or dropped to the floor. It was super helpful for me!

@@OutsideMatchInside Love your comment!! It makes me very sad that more people on these forums seem to hate the fat acceptance movement. Fat people are discriminated against and face micro-aggressions on a daily basis, there should be some sort of movement that says "Hey! I don't deserve to be treated like **** because I take up more space than you! Thanks!" For example, I am a very fat woman that had VSG and I still believe in body positivity, fat acceptance and health at every size. I did not (and still don't) hate myself because I am fat, and I have great confidence. I did the surgery because I knew that for ME, I was headed down a path of growing health concerns, and I knew I couldn't lose the weight on my own. Not all fat people are unhealthy. Not all fat people are sad. Not all fat people have "a thin person trapped inside" of them. Maybe some of the women on the show truly were happy with themselves, maybe some weren't, but seeing all of these comments saying "they must be really sad inside" is frustrating. Also, men having a preference for fat women is not a fetish. It can lead to fat related fetishes, but preferring fat bodies is not a fetish.

I had a cath and I didn't shave and certainly wasn't shaved while I was out! That would've been awesome though I hate shaving! Hahah! I find that really strange they would make you shave, I mean for god sake it's just some pubes, part that shit and stick the cath in! ????

The surgery went well from what I was told and no strictures, leaks, or hernias yet! However, recovery has been very difficult. Only this past Tuesday did I start feeling better both mentally and physically. I'm having issues with puree food (make me feel like I need to lie down/sour stomach) so I've gone back to full liquids mainly (soft cheese doesn't negatively effect me). I'm going to start reintroducing some pureed food one at a time, to see what I can tolerate and what I can't. I was having trouble getting my Protein in and I just couldn't stomach the RTD Premier Protein so I ordered GENEPRO which has 30g of protein per tablespoon and is unflavored. It's been a game changer for me! Now I have no problem getting the 60g I need. I've also started to see a therapist which I think will be helpful. I was expecting to have some difficulties mentally but they really are much bigger than I anticipated. Anyway! Hope your recovery is going well!! Each day really does get better. ????

Definitely call them. It's possible there was just a mistake. Go through your contract and any paperwork you may have. It's possible the hospital hasn't been paid yet by the surgeon or vice versa, so they are directly billing you. Also, it's possible that the surgeon had to perform additional testing while operating. I know on my contract it stated that if he needed to do a liver biopsy or hernia repair, it would be an additional cost. Check to see if that's the case!

Agreed with the above statement. There is nothing in the OP's statements that suggest he is using "tough love" or saying something right in the wrong way. He is emotionally and mentally abusive, plan and simple. Telling your spouse what they can and can't eat is controlling behavior that is very typical in abusive relationships. The OP states that she is completely dependent on him, which may be circumstantial, but it is another very common aspect of abuse. Make them dependent on you, and they can't leave. Verbally beat them down to make them think they aren't worthy of their love, or anyone else's, and they stay because they believe they are lucky enough to have anyone. While her husbands actions and statements might not seem like huge red flags flashing "Abusive person alert!" these things tend to escalate. It never goes from 0 to 100 over night, it's a relatively slow and gradual shift. To the OP - I am very very sorry that your husband is treating you this way. I am very happy to hear you are going to get counseling, I think that is a positive step in the right direction. Please know that there are a lot of support groups out there that can help you for both your spousal issues and your health/WLS needs. I find it very interesting that while he is "disgusted" by your weight, he does not support you in your decision to get WLS which would help you to lose the weight. Also, it seems like maybe a good portion of your weight gain was health related? You mentioned applying for disability benefits, I just wonder if the weight gain was because of overeating/food addiction or because of your health problems. Either way, I truly hope that it helps you find what you need and gets you to a better place.

You probably took a shortened version of the MMPI which is normally 560 questions!

I had mine removed 5 years ago and just got sleeved on 1/13. When my surgeon found out that I had it removed already he was happy about it, same with the nurses. I have literally never heard of these complications involving the lack of a gallbladder and the sleeve. If anything I've heard that it's preferable to have it already removed, otherwise you're going to have to do it anyways.

That's awesome that you've had such a significant reduction! I believe my AHI was 70, my sleep apnea was a big reason for me to get the surgery and I'm really hoping it helps! Keep us updated and let us know if you are able to go off of your machine!

I'm really struggling with the puree foods right now, so I can't give you advice on it unfortunately. I spoke with the nurse today and told her that after I eat, I immediately feel crappy. Not throw-up crappy, but a sour stomach and I get a headache. She told me that there shouldn't be ANY chunks and pureed to the point that I could drink the food....umm...so should I just go back to liquids then? Who wants to drink chicken? ???? I asked "so why does it say I can eat cottage cheese?" She didn't really have an answer for me. If my nutritionist would just call me back for once, I could hopefully get some answers and understand what I really need to be doing. Sigh.

Yeah there's a huge difference between "You're beautiful" and "Hey baby nice t*ts!" Being yelled across a street!

I remember everything from the OR room right up to the point they knocked me out. The bed was inflated and I was scooted over to the OR table, my arms and legs strapped down, a million blankets on me. Tons of electrodes attached to me. Lots of people bustling around. The OR bed being raised up so I felt a bit like I was being crucified with my arms and legs strapped down! ???????? Everyone being very nice to me and asking me questions to keep my calm (which wasn't necessary because whatever sedative they gave me was amazing and did the trick). Then them saying "Okay we're ready to go. Amy, I'm going to be putting you to sleep soon." Them bam! Out like a light. I remember being woken up and gagging/choking on the breathing tube down my nose. Once they knew I was alive, they took it out (that felt weird). I remember telling them I felt nauseous two different times and them saying "I'm giving you medication for that but it's gonna happen because of the anesthesia." Luckily the medication worked. I remember my surgeon coming in briefly to tell me "everything went perfectly" and then waking up every 30mins or so and watching the people in the room bustle about. I don't remember getting to my hospital room though. Anyway, I think anesthesia is pretty cool to experience as long as you're able to tolerate it well.

Very few women actually enjoy being catcalled. It's embarrassing, demeaning, and degrading. The men that do it don't actually think they are going to get a date out of it, it's just an aggressive tactic to put a woman in her place (as a sexual object for men's consumption). I'm not surprised to hear that it made you feel unsafe. Strange men shouting sexual slurs at women are situations that rarely end well. God forbid you told them to "piss off". Who knows how they could have reacted? For example, a woman was just shot and killed for rejecting a man at a bar. He waited outside after closing and shot her in the chest. This isn't the first time it's happened and it won't be the last. Men who respect women don't catcall. They may think "damn she looks good" in their head, and that's totally fine, but they don't call out at women and belittle/scare them. TL;DR - I hate catcalling!!!

Thank you so much for writing this! I was thinking about doing something similar, but feared the backlash that seems to come at the admittance of even a tiny bit of regret over this surgery. I am nearly 2 weeks post-op and it has seriously taken it's toll on not just my physical health but mostly my mental health. I had a lot of pain the first week and a lot of boredom from not being able to do much, which leads to a lot of negative thinking. Finally, I am no longer in a lot of pain, but now I'm dealing with other issues. I am exhausted all the time. It took all my strength and willpower to take a shower and go grocery shopping. I didn't even put all the groceries away before having to lay down in bed. Every time I eat, (I'm on puree foods right now) I feel like crap and need to lie down again. I don't get nauseous or throw up thankfully, but I get a headache and a sour stomach. All of these things are really starting to build up and I'm fighting off sinking in to a bad funk. Luckily, I do not suffer from clinical depression so I know eventually I will snap out of this, but I can tell this episode is going to be bad. I have an appointment with a therapist that specializes in food addiction therapy on Wednesday and I'm actually really eager to see her. I know she can't make everything better, but at least I'll be able to bounce around some ideas for coping with someone. I say all of this so others who are about to embark on this journey understand that it is NOT always as easy as most people here seem to have it. I think a lot of that "it wasn't so bad" mindset comes from having time away from it and the results being so good. I totally understand that and I don't doubt that a few months from now, I might even be saying "it was worth it/it's not as bad as I thought". Well, I certainly hope I am! But right now, it is a daily, sometimes hourly struggle to keep from breaking down. I hope those who are at the point where they "love their sleeve/tool" can either remember the struggle of the newly post-op, or if they had a smooth and easy recovery, to understand where we might be coming from. Edited to add: I want to also say that there have been some great things already for me, I've lost nearly 40lbs in 4 weeks and I had a NSV of a shirt that didn't quite fit before fit perfectly today. I know that this will be worth it in the long run, I just think I'm going to have a harder time adjusting than most. ????