Hannah83

Are you walking every 20 minutes or so? I remember when I was recovering, it was February and there was snow and ice everywhere so I had to pace the hall of my house. Very boring but I would pace it back and forth about 10 times. The motion of walking helps pass the air bubbles through. If the weather is inclement in your area, have someone drive you to a mall or Walmart and just make slow laps around the place. Walking really is the best medicine/tip for dealing with gas.

Could be due to healing, your blood is focused on your midsection, could be due to not moving around as much, etc. Try to get up and walk every hour to keep the blood flowing. Other than that I'd try to make sure I either turn on a heating blanket or toss socks and mittens into the dryer and put them on nice and toasty warm.

It could also have nothing to do with your surgery. Just try to deal with the symptoms, note anything you think could be a contributing factor and then if it's super annoying or becomes a bigger issue you have some data points to discuss with your doc.

The first couple of days at home I was only able to drink 24 to 28 oz of Water and they were not happy with me. I was also eating yogurt and Protein Shake but they were concerned about blood clots and told me to skip yogurt to get more fluids. It’s so tough bc if you wake up a little late or take a nap you are derailed for the day. How much are you getting? It helped me to lay out a schedule for the day to make sure I could meet my 48 oz goal. The other thing that helped was having a small water bottle (8oz) in bed with me when I woke up in the middle of the night. I couldn’t sleep through the night for the first week so drinking for an hour in the middle of the night helped me reach my goal.

The glitz of Victoria's page is very tempting. And as I'm dropping pounds even more so. What I'm discovering is that along with the eating I also would buy expensive lounge clothing to make myself feel better. Yea I paid off my bill each month but the interest rate was higher than heck and now I'm falling out of 3-year-old yoga pants and re-sewing holes for the 4th time because it's the only clothing I've worn for the last 4 1/2 years.
Scratch that for my entire adult life thus far it's been lounge clothes. I like comfortable clothing that looks nice, not an issue. I'm on the autism spectrum so perhaps I should err on the side of grace for myself, but when you don't have 2/3's of your stomach the energy goes somewhere doesn't it?
I imagine self-discovery of the layers of things food hid and the trappings thereof will unravel as time goes on. I am thankful that I waited 2 years and thought through this process of surgery, did some dark night of the soul-searching and a lot of praying. The thoughts of 'will I regret this' were worn out before I even had surgery on the 31st of October 2017. For that I am thankful, I am thankful for a dad that had me look long and hard at this process. I am thankful for the hard years I went through in my 20's I used to struggle with self-mutilation for about 11 years. I am now 4 1/2 years healed thanks to God, my family and a six month free of charge faith-based treatment program called Mercy Multiplied.
We choose to guard our healing, our progress, and to ask for help, to go to support group meetings, to reach out, or to not do so.
This goes for more than weight loss surgery, it spills into every area of life.
I am a brave woman who has gone through much, before bullying on the internet was vogue I was at the center of it. Cira 2005-2012. I have an encyclopedia dramatica article which used to send me in a cycle of self-mutilation and self-hate which in turn exacerbated my ASD.
The scars point to a God who has healed me and a woman who choices to stay that way.
By the same token, the weight loss surgery will remain another testament to my commitment to stay well.

I am so excited and pleased for you! Keep up the good fight

It's official! I'm stark RAVING cra! (short trip)
Today, after 89 dayum days in the 230's decade, I saw 229.2lbs on the scale! Wahhhhhoooooo!!!!! I'm so happy, I just had to share and since I've no idea (can't remember) how to make a new Status Update, I figured I could rave about it and party here in the Rants & Rave Room!
I'm only a few pounds from -60lbs (most recent) loss, and only a few pounds from being 100lbs down from my highest weight! Can you tell I'm happy?
(Did I mention it was 89 freakin' days long???!!!)

Hello All, My name is Lori and I just had my surgery on 11/28 by Dr. Terracina. I live in Hampton and would love to have someone to talk to who is going through the same things as I am. I find i'm having a hard time with the Protein intake along with some sharp deep pain. I understand its normal to have pain after a major surgery like this but its still frustrating all the same. If any of you, or all of you would like to talk, that would be great!

I've taken phentermine in the past. It worked for me by suppressing my hunger, but I couldn't stay on it for more than a month at a time (per my doctor), because it has bad side effects. I would press my doctor about tapering off before surgery if I were you. I believe that the drug IS working for you, because you balloon up when you get off of it. However, you need to learn to be successful at weight loss without the use of stimulants.
When I was on phentermine, I didn't have to make changes to my diet. I simply wasn't hungry, so I lost lots of weight. Once I got off, and the hunger returned, I ate more and more often. It was just a Band-Aid. Weight loss surgery can be the same if you don't make major changes in your diet and overall lifestyle. You must change your relationship with food, and learn good eating habits. if you don't learn these things now, you are going to add one more hurdle to achieving success long-term.
I would think your doctor would be more concerned with you achieving success without the use of stimulants than achieving it faster with stimulants. If you have been taking them for a while, you are also going to possibly have to deal with withdrawal symptoms when you stop. I would rather deal with that now than a few months after surgery.
I truly wish you the best of luck, and please don't take my comments negatively. I really want you to succeed long-term, and I am perplexed as to why your doctor would recommend something like this.

Hey, I'm glad you had your surgery done! Condrads. What is a good day and time for you? I inturn on Tuesdays, Thursday's and Friday's.

I just discovered this website today- I am scheduled for surgery on Monday and I'm local in Virginia Beach!

I could definitely use someone to talk to- if you are still looking let me know

Hello all, I've been a member here for about a year and some change. I've been through pre-op stuff for a sleeve for about 2 years now. Tomorrow the 31st of Oct. is my big day! I'm with Dr. Terasena's office and they are great.
I am looking for a support buddy who can hold me accountable as well as just talk to. My father is very worried, my mom is supportive as is my grandmother.
However, nothing beats having someone to email or speak with online. Thanks again.

(waves) this forum isn't the only place to get advice from. actual face time at a support group does wonders. As others have said for each it's different. I was sleeved on Oct. 31st and am day seven out. I don't regret it because well I took my time, 2 years to be exact. And I scheduled the surgery 2 times as well. So, I'm ready for the road ahead. But all the views given were good.

If you go on the actual site on your phone you can see everything that's how I access it.. Not through the app.
Hope that helps.

Totally feel you on that.. at first i was so lost too.. but i kinda got the hang of it.. cuz when i receive a notification to my phone i clicked from there and it will send me straight to that post... other than that is me searching the timeline. Hope he reads it!


“There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.” —Michael Phelps

Thank you for sharing, I think most of us believe that if I could only lose the weight my life would be better just to find like most addicts that the weight was a symptom of a more significant issue. I saw that during my weight loss I would run through a gambit of emotions. I have done some reading and found that our body not only stores sugars in fat but also stores hormones in the fat. I am glad that you are losing your weight because like my DR told me that now that I am going to live longer maybe that will give me time to sort out the other things in my life. We are not perfect, but life is to be lived, sometimes it is good, but different times it can be difficult but the key to embrace what it throws at you and to remember that we are here for a short time and not to get hung up on the small stuff.

Here is my tip, granted I'm only 7.5 months out, but I attend a monthly support group with 10 year plus veterans.
Stay on top of your supplements. Take your Vitamins, get tested every 3 months in the beginning, then every 6, and the vet in my group go about 3 times in 2 years. They still take their vitamins, just as they did in the beginning. You have to stay on top of it.
I think it's something people forget over time.

@GassyGurl thanks for your insight. I love your observation that you are in control and everyone else it out of control. I do feel out of control and so desperately need to take control of my life.
@DropWt4Life I know 2nd thoughts are normal and I appreciate your comments. Did you feel like you had control of your eating prior to your surgery? I'm just thinking that if I had control, I could loose it without surgery. I know it's going to be an adjustment and a new way of living with food but I feel like I have tried to control it without surgery. Do you think it will be tougher for me b/c of sweet tooth?
@StartingFresh Good to hear your recovery is going so well. Puts my mind at ease!

Thanks @Cas54 !! So good to hear your experience and that you feel so good. It's nice to hear positive feedback. Sounds like you are well on your way...

Ditto what everyone has posted. I am sleeved one week, and on no pain meds, not regretting one minute. I too lost 70lbs on Weight Watchers and then stopped tracking and going to meetings and being honest.
You need to examine your attachment to food, and develop a better relationship with it. You might try counseling or reading some books by Geneen Roth.
As far as anecdotal evidence from the forums, everyone's health before surgery can determine the outcome plus different genetics. Also compliance - people can lie about what they are eating and drinking.
You alone need to make the choice based on what you want. Good luck.

Well, I've just put on my scop patch to start working for tomorrow with the anesthesia. Taken my last shower, and I'm very much at ease. (might be the no food, scope patch and my anti-anxiety with sleep meds and no food, but I'll take it) A bit of my backstory, I blew up in weight when I was age 24 to 25 around that same time I developed awful PCOS.
All, while I was struggling with debilitating depression, cutting that, was scary to those around me, and just other things that you can use your imagination it happened I'm not here to glorify what I was, I'm here to give background info. so the form knows my part in the journey thus far.
I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at age 19, and for a very long time didn't come to terms with who God has made me be uniquely His.
I have a testimony page on Mercy Multiplied when I graduated from seven months of intense faith-based counseling to gain freedom from the cutting, and have for the last four years been walking out that freedom day by day.
https://mercymultiplied.com/2013/03/hannah-2013-graduate/
I got down to 233 pounds after seven months of monaterd eating locked up in a kitchen, my 911 issue I dealt with was my self-harm.
The program was very structured and was free of charge, we all came together and worked together. We had chores and duties and as we progressed, for example, I could be around knives when I had the duty of cooking with other girls for a week etc.
In my 20's I was a mess, lost and using my hell or high Water stance that comes with autism in a self-defeating way.
It has taken five years to heal totally from those things, and the same will be true of the food issues.
Surgery is a powerful tool, and as such after a time the halo effect wears off, so for the last two years I've been doing on and off pre-op monitored eating with another clinic that I was at in 2015. By the summer I had my gallbladder removed, and when the day came for my gastric sleeve surgery the clinic closed down.
I've spent the last 10 months since November of 2016 to now doing kickboxing classes and I've maintained my weight but have gained some really nice lean muscle (which I cannot wait for it to show through!)
My father has legitimate worries about 'head hunger' and he's a great father I tried time off and working out and I felt I've honored his wishes. He loves me to death and as I've grown closer to God and been healing he and I have grown closer than we ever have and I love it!
It is his overprotectiveness that rises up and finally, he is not getting upset but listening to me and AI to him over this week leading up to my surgery.
I think a lot of it has to do with 'daddy's little girl' making her own choices in life, and it's a growing pain but for a parent. My mom went through this when I was at Mercy 4 years ago, and now I sense my father is going through the same.
So at the end of the day, I respect my parents but this is part of breaking away in a healthy way. It'd be really painful for him to go through this during my courting and then engagement process! Oh my goodness, him giving me away? yea better now than an awkward later!
Anyways, before this becomes a novel length post, I just thought I'd give some information about who I am where I've been and where I am going! Good things in store!

Well tomorrow morning at 5:30 am on the 31st of Oct. is my big day! I've bought all the Vitamins I'll need for the next 3 weeks and shakes. Propel Water etc all is ready, and I'm excited! I'm currently 5'8" and 258 pounds. My goal is 160 or 170 range. I'm a follower of Jesus, live my love for God very loudly.
I am four years healed of self-injury, thanks to God and a supportive family.
My mom and grandmother are very supportive of my choice, my father is not. He is worried about 'head hunger' and this not working out at all. I can understand his concern, but at the end of the day, it is my body and myself I have to contend with.
I believe that a huge componate will continue to be my faith, and family. I will also be attending support group meetings at the hospital that I'm being sleeved at.
I've been soaking in faith-based music today, and am mentally preparing for the big day tomorrow. I'll probably update this thread when I am back home. It's only a one night stay and then I'm released back home.
I do believe that those who are worried will be surprised by joy when they see me push through. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!

I had surgery 7/10. I'm down 51lbs which since i had a lower starting weight and PCOS/hypothyroidism I'm really happy with. I am working out with a trainer twice a week plus another 3-4 days of cardio or extra strength training. I'm getting Protein in easily but sometimes struggle a little with Water at work. Right now I'm in the 800-1000 kcal/day range. I've had to order new clothing for work (professional wear) and for the gym because all my old stuff was becoming baggy!

I was sleeved July 10th. I'm down 47.6 since the day of surgery and 62.6 since the start of my two week pre-op diet. I haven't had any food aversions, which has been great. I'm sticking to my plan which is protein, veg, limited fruit, some Beans, and cheese. Staying away from carbs and sugar. So far it has not been a struggle. I'm looking to increase my activity as well. So far I've just been walking and getting in around 10,000 steps a day on average. Congratulations on your great progress!

I was sleeved on July 18. At the start of my journey I weighed in at 303. The morning of surgery I weighed 279. Today I weigh 230. I feel like a new man!!!

I was diagnosed with diabetes late last year. From the second day post op I have been diabetes free and 100% OFF all meds!!!