Hiraeth

So, I have an aunt that wants to get WLS. She was not interested in getting it until I had it done; I guess I sparked some bravery into her. She is only about 4'10'' and weighs over 300 pounds. She mentioned to us that she has congestive heart failure. This really worries me. Does having congestive heart failure make it impossible for her to have the surgery? I feel like, if she can't have it, then what is she going to do to lose the weight and correct her heart? Has anyone here had the surgery and made their heart healthier? I don't know how severe her condition is.

Yikes! Know-it-alls annoy me, too. But I take the beating from them because I'm a naturally passive person. But once I've had enough, they'll know it, lol! I'm sorry she's so frustrating. I think it would probably be a good idea to tell her you no longer want to discuss the gastric sleeve topic, since you and her continue to go back and forth with it. Just tell her that you know she means well, but that it's easier for you to discuss this on a forum. If she keeps bashing the forum, then tell her you no longer want to discuss anything weight related. If she can't respect that, then she doesn't deserve your company. It's harsh to say that, but I know what it's like to be around pushy people.

It may seem impossible, but it looks like you are definitely retaining water. How is the health of your heart right now? My feet weren't very big, but after losing only 23 pounds, I can definitely tell that they have lost volume on the top, and even in my ankles. I now have to tighten my sandals around the ankle because my ankles and feet are so much thinner than before.

I felt this way, too. I actually did not get in all my protein that was required when I first got out of surgery. Try tomato soup. It saved me. I was able to eat soft foods on my 3rd week. I never knew how much energy eggs can give you. It's awesome!

It's very normal to feel nervous. Just breathe and remember that this is the beginning of your new, healthy life! When you get to the hospital, you will probably be the most nervous. But, they give you a shot called Versed, which is like a pre-sedation. After you get that shot, all of your nervousness will go away. They gave me that shot and I promise I could have skydived because I had absolutely no worries at all. It's great stuff to calm the nerves! You'll probably even fall asleep before you reach the operating room, lol! Keep us updated! We are all praying for you! <3

If you have to lose 4 pounds before the diet, that is still VERY easy to do. Just track your calories. Maybe try to eat no more than 1400 calories. Try to walk about half a mile a day if you can, and yes, walking around the house counts. You CAN do this!

Good luck! Yes, please keep us updated! And remember, ignore all the haters! You are awesome and that's all that matters!

Feeling nervous is normal! I did not feel nervous, but I think that makes me NOT normal, lol! I jumped right in with so much excitement. I'm just normally a very brave person. It's my personality. Most people feel very nervous. But I'd be lying if I said you don't need this, because you do. Yo-yo diets fail most of the time. They even make you gain more weight back. So you do this, and you make it yours! As for losing 4 pounds in 2 weeks... That is very easy to achieve. I lost 9 pounds in 1 week on the liquid diet. Just stay hydrated, drink just liquid (protein shakes and yogurt are life savers).

Honestly, and this is just my opinion, but if I were you I'd consider taking out a loan if Bufflehead's (above) suggestions don't work out. This is your quality of life. There is no price on good health. If my insurance wouldn't have covered it, then I would have tried taking out a small loan and flown to Mexico. That's how desperate I was.

Exactly, what the person above said. It could be fatal if you don't tell your surgeon. We are not doctors, so your surgeon needs to know what happened. But just in case you can still have the surgery, continue on liquids. 110% is perfect thinking! Proud of you!

LOL! Wait... They made you try this for 6 weeks?! What in the world... That's is ridiculous! I only did mine for one week and my surgery went amazing. Your doctor is probably trying to be completely sure that there are no complications. I also heard that the bigger your BMI is, the longer they usually make you do the liquid diet. But my gosh... 6 weeks is the longest I've ever heard. Please be 100% dedicated to this liquid diet for the remaining 5 days. And PLEASE tell your surgeon about what happened. I screwed up my liquid diet the DAY BEFORE my surgery. I was only allowed to have clear liquids the day before, and without thinking, I had non-fat chocoate milk. I was so upset. I told my surgeon (nervously) and he didn't mind. He said, "Well, it's done. Let's rock and roll!" Ha! I think, in my opinion, you've already shrunken your liver in the 5 weeks of the liquid diet prior to your fallback. So you probably have not increased your liver size that much in just 2 weeks. Worst case scenario, your doctor will probably postpone the surgery for about 2-3 weeks. If maybe you insist on trying to have the surgery, he might open you up and find that your liver is a good size to continue the operation. Just PLEASE stick to only liquid from now on, until your surgery and at least 2 weeks after your surgery. Good luck! Keep us updated! Prayers~

Honestly, I could not have or handle any solid liquid 4 days after surgery. I was only able to handle CLEAR liquid. Try just clear stuff, like broth, Popsicles, Jello, and Water. 3 days after my surgery, I felt a bit regretful because I was sore all over, like I had been beaten up. But now, at 18 days post-op, I am SO GLAD I did this! I'm already 23 pounds down! Also, make sure you're taking your Zofran or whatever nausea medicine they gave you. It really works! It was a miracle pill for me!

9 months?! That is bogus! I was approved in 8 days. I'm sorry your insurance is being so difficult. :/ And yeah, 10 classes... Wow! You sound very busy. Oh yikes! I had my gallbladder removed a few months ago, and I'm not really having bad symptoms. I just remember feeling like I had a Charlie Horse in my abdomen, which made me wonder if my gallbladder was failing. I got a HIDA scan, and sure enough, my gallbladder was only working at 12%. I'm glad you're doing better. I have heard that weight loss can actually help with your fibromyalgia. I haven't heard about it flaring up after surgery, but everyone is different. I hope your recovery goes well. Keep us updated! You're so right! Her attitude is not my problem. At first, I thought I was doing something wrong. But after many months of dwelling on it, I realized that I'm doing absolutely everything I can to make her like me. And she always finds a way to disagree with what I say and do. I've realized that she's just a miserable person.

I've been dealing with this, too. But not from family or friends; from a co-worker. She was being so negative around me and even telling me I would fail! I found out she's actually jealous that I got the surgery because she's over 300 pounds and is too scared to get it. Don't let them get you down. You are doing this for you, not them. Us on the forum support you! You go, girl!

Why are you nervous? Are you nervous about the surgery, the diet, or both? The surgery was easier than I expected. My only challenges were the gas pains that lasted for almost 2 days and getting in enough liquid. My pre-op diet lasted for one week and was actually pretty easy. I didn't really feel miserable like some people say they felt. I made sure to drink at least 3 Protein shakes a day and eat about 2-3 light and fit yogurts a day. Also, drink plenty of fluids to keep yourself fuller longer. Good luck!

In a way, yes. I felt like it was kinda hard to breathe when I first woke up from surgery. But I think it was a gas bubble that was trapped. Also, it hurts my esophagus more when I eat than it does my stomach.

The gas pains you might feel after surgery are not in your abdomen. The pain is usually in the neck, shoulder, or arm. I felt it in my left shoulder. It feels like someone has hit you hard, but it goes away if you walk. When I walk, I feel little to no gas pain. If you feel a lot of pain while you're in the hospital, you can tell the nurse you want something that will take the edge off so you can sleep when it's night time.

Awww! I'm so glad you enjoyed my post! When is your surgery? Yes, every recovery is slightly different, but most of the time, people don't struggle much. Mind if I ask what fears you have? You're right. I think my co-worker wants me to fail so she can boost her pride. But I've tried my best to be nice to her, and I guess there's not much more I can do.

Yes! The pain was bad in my left shoulder! It felt like I was bruised and that someone had hit me as hard as they could with a hammer. o_o Oh I love you for saying that! I've been told that she is jealous of me and she's mad that she can't have the surgery because she's too scared to. So many people have said this. I guess you're all correct! Haha! Congratulations on your success so far! <3

Thank you for your response, Alex! I am almost certain that the noodles were just a bad idea because of an intolerance for them. When I drink Protein Shakes and other things, I sometimes feel a little nauseous; but I think that maybe I'm getting ahead of myself and drinking too fast. It's challenging, but I am quickly learning about what I can and can't do. I've noticed that Powerade Zero is not like it used to be. When it first hits my tongue, it tastes amazing. But once I swallow it, and let it hit my stomach, it's just not as pleasant as it used to be. It's hard to describe how it makes me feel, but mostly I think it's making me feel a little sick to my stomach. I bought a ton of them for me to drink after surgery, so I think I'm just going to stick with Protein shakes, Crystal Light, and Diet V8 Splash for my liquid. eggs are such a life saver right now!

I'm writing this as I'm sipping a chocolate flavored Premier Protein shake. I want to gulp so bad! Hehehe... This is going to be long, so unless you like to read, turn away now! So, I had my surgery with Dr. Miles at St. Vincent's East on August 4th. I had horrible gas pains (as expected), and for about 2 days I felt as if I had been beaten up in an alley, lol. After that, it was pretty easy as far as the pain goes. He told me that he removed a golf ball sized hiatal hernia, that I had NO IDEA I had. I had no symptoms or pain from it, except for when I ate rice, because it would get stuck halfway down. But I figured that was normal since I was eating the rice and drinking tea at the same time. (This was way before my surgery.) Anyway, they fixed that and removed about 85-90% of my stomach. I really didn't hurt much from my incisions or inside of my body like most people would expect. The nurses were butts at first, but they became really nice on their 2nd shift. The first nurse got mad at me because I unplugged my blood pressure machine. It kept beeping because the battery was low and my mom was getting annoyed from the beeping. Well, when the nurse came in, she got mad because 4 hours of vitals weren't taken. But dang, I was still heavily medicated from the surgery and I wasn't fully aware of what was going on. I just knew my mom was annoyed and I felt bad that she had to stay there with me, so I wanted to make sure she was comfortable. :/ The next nurse was nice at first, and she was overall a nice person. But the gas pains were becoming horrible and the liquid lortab wasn't taking the edge off at all. It just made me drowsy and I wasn't able to sleep because laying down was EXTREMELY painful. I would try walking like they suggested, but since I was so drowsy, I kept running into things, stumbling, and forgetting where my room was even though I stayed in one hallway. No nurse ever came to make sure I was walking like I should have been. The only time they came to check on me was to get my vitals. But anyway, I finally asked her if I could have Dilaudid. She looked almost shocked because I knew what that was. Well, I've had 3 kidney stones before, and Dilaudid is the ONLY pain killer that takes that much pain away. She hesitated and said, "Well, you need to keep trying the Hydrocodone." So I told her that it wasn't working like it should because I cannot sleep at all. Even sitting down made the gas pain hurt. I guess maybe she thought I was an addict. But trust me, Dilaudid takes away your quality of life because you literally cannot do anything when you're on it. I can't even speak a full sentence when I'm on it. But, she had no right to assume that, if that's what she was thinking. Her excuse was, "Well, you won't be able to have Dilaudid when you go home." (NO DUH LADY! I'M HURTING NOW. By the time I go home, I won't be hurting like this anymore! UGH! ) After 4 hours went by of me "trying" the liquid lortab, she came back in to check on me. I told her the pain has not yet gotten better, and I actually almost started crying because of the pain (which is very unlike me because I never cry from physical pain). She knew my family was around, so she finally gave me Dilaudid. The gas pain didn't completely go away, but it definitely took the edge off. The gas pain was at a constant 6 on the pain scale, and a 7 when it twinged. The Dilaudid brought the pain down to a 4-5, so I was able to sit up at a 90 degree angle and get some rest. About 6 hours later, the Dilaudid wore off and the pain came back. Once again, she didn't want to give me more. So I agreed to "try" the liquid lortab again. It did nothing for my pain. So 4 hours after that, she gave me more Dilaudid. That was the last dose I got, and the last dose I asked for. I was fine after the 2nd dose because it helped the gas pain almost go away. I told her this and she kinda seemed sorry for being difficult at first. Nurses just need to listen to their patients a little better. We got along great after that. She even showed me her puppies at home and I hugged her because I thought she was just so sweet once she opened up to me. Once I got home, I slept in my mother's bed for about 6-7 hours. I surrounded myself with a soft shield of pillows, lol. That really helped me get comfortable. When I woke up, I literally felt as if I'd been beaten up. So I got in about 20 oz of liquid, took 1,000 mg of B-12, and went back to bed. The next day, I no longer felt sore all over. I actually had energy! So I got up and walked around the house a lot. I felt pretty good. Challenges: My biggest challenges right now are learning to eat slowly, taking small bites of food, not gulping what I drink, getting in enough protein and liquid (64 fl oz and 80g of protein), and taking the medicine I was given. I'm scared about taking Xarelto because I heard there have been a ton of lawsuits with it causing internal bleeding and even death. But I paid $99 for it (my insurance covered most of the cost) and now I feel obligated to take it instead of the shots. I took it last night, but I figured that a one month amount won't hurt me. I'm not having a hard time moving around and walking because I can hardly sit still for too long, unless I'm sleeping. And even then, since I have night terrors, I think I'm getting enough exercise while I sleep, lol! Ever since I started my liquid diet and began losing weight, my ovaries have been hurting a lot more. I'm even a month late on my period. I'm guessing my body is confused since I'm dropping weight and not eating as much as I was. Speak of dropping weight, I've lost 22 pounds in 3 weeks. I feel pretty good about that. I also have a pip in my step, lol. My shirts are already getting looser. It's awesome! Tomorrow is my first day back to work. I'm kind of dreading it because of the woman I work with. She's very overweight (over 300 pounds) and she's been pretty nasty to me about this surgery. She's convinced I'll fail at losing weight. But I know me and I love who I am, so she can get over it, lol. I also got myself a purple FitBit Alta for $130. It was very pricey, but I love it and it's going to help keep me motivated. Oh! And I also went to a support group with my mom. My mom is very nervous about getting this surgery for herself, so I was hopeful that the support group would help her with that fear. She loved going! It really did help her. I spoke in front of the group of about 100 people. I even inspired a bunch of people with my words. One girl came up to me and said, "I just had to come talk to you. You're so direct when you talk and I love that. I'm so scared and you actually made me feel better." That meant a lot to me for her to say that. I love to help people. So I gave her my number and told her to call me anytime she feels nervous, even if it's 2:00 in the morning, lol! I want everyone to succeed. So if I can be the help someone needs, I'm all for it! I'm going to another support group in September with my aunt, who is over 300 pounds and has congestive heart failure. I am really hoping she likes it, too. I feel like I've been somewhat of a guinea pig in this whole thing for my overweight family members. I don't mind at all because 90% of the time, I'm very brave. When I was at the support group, some lady came up to me and told me she thought I was pregnant, LOL! She said, "You have tiny little arms and legs, so it doesn't look like you're meant to be overweight." Well I have an apple body and I gain weight primarily around my stomach. I was told it's from high cortisol levels and stress. I don't feel stressed, but I guess maybe I am and I've just gotten used to it, lol! I actually feel pretty relaxed and happy.

Thanks Hun! That's a challenge for me at the moment because I'm so used to being a gulper, lol! But I am doing better. Thanks so much!

It really depends on the person, I think. My friend didn't have this surgery but she lost 100 lbs in 1 year, which is fast considering she dieted without having this procedure done. Most people I see here lose 100 pounds within at least 7 months. It really just depends.

I haven't lost that much yet. But I have lost 20 pounds in just 2 weeks, if that helps any.

I actually have a Sam's Club. I wonder if they have good deals on protein drinks? I may have to swing by there today and check. Thanks so much!