Hiraeth

Wow. Do you mind if I ask why he doesn't want you to do this? This is your decision (and a very good one) to better your health and quality of life. I'm proud of you!

I'm aware of that. The lower esophageal sphincter is right above the band. So basically, you're feeling as if it's stuck there.

Sounds like you had what I had 2 weeks ago. I woke up around 7:30 a.m. feeling pain in my lower back, so I decided to take something for the pain. I just figured it was from sleeping in a bad position, until I started feeling sick to my stomach. I thought I was going to puke, but instead, the nausea quickly turned into lower abdominal cramps. Whatever it was, it decided to change course. I was on the toilet for about 10 minutes, until I felt a little better. I went back to bed and didn't wake up until 4:30 p.m.! I thought, "What in the world... Did I go into a coma?!" Well, once I was fully awake, I noticed that I felt HORRIBLE. I had body aches that were horrendous, I felt extremely weak, and I felt like I had been asleep for years. I stood up and my stomach started hurting again; this time it was much worse. I figured I was just hungry, so I decided to walk into the kitchen and get a Protein shake. As I was walking, out of nowhere, I heard ringing in my ears and my hearing dulled; it was like everything was a mile away. I also felt very lightheaded and thought I was about to faint. I quickly took a sip of my Protein Shake and sat down on the couch. If someone had told me I was dying, I would have believed them. I was on the couch waiting to collapse. The lightheadedness finally faded, but my lower abdomen began rumbling again. So I went to the bathroom and I experienced the same event as earlier that morning. I was worried that I did something to myself since I hadn't eaten all day. I went to the doctor and told them my symptoms. They said it was some kind of viral infection. When I got home, I was in so much pain all over my body. It felt as if I'd been beaten. My mom insisted that I was faking my illness, because she thought I was trying to have an excuse to not help her put up the Christmas tree. I helped her as much as I could, but the aches were just so awful. After about 2 hours of being back home, I took a Tylenol extra strength and went to bed. When I woke up the next day, the body aches were gone. I still felt weak and I was still going to the bathroom after I drank or ate anything. I was able to go watch the Alabama vs. Florida football game at my aunt's house, though. But the day after that, my mom got sick. She actually apologized for not believing me, lol. She had the exact same symptoms and stayed in bed all day. Two days later, her boyfriend got sick with the exact same thing. When I came back to work, I found out 3 other people had it. It was like a violent plague going around. I hope you feel better soon!

When you say stuck, do you mean it feels like food is getting stuck in your lower esophageal sphincter? I still feel this way from time to time, but only if I eat too fast or too much. It was really frequent for me during the first 5 weeks post-op (I had the sleeve), but it was because my stomach was still swollen. I've heard of many complications with the LAP-Band. I think my surgeon is trying to get out of the LAP-Band procedure in his practice because there are so many issues going on with it. I highly recommend getting the sleeve. I think you'll like it more. When I do feel like food is getting stuck, I go to the bathroom and make myself puke (I know I shouldn't be doing that. It's a challenge I'm working on.) I know that when it gets stuck, it's because it's my fault for not eating slowly. This stuck feeling doesn't happen that often; maybe once every two weeks (and don't forget that it's only because I eat fast).

Oh, lovely 65. I bet you love the traffic. Yeah, the heat is awful. It's humid and smothering. Last year I had to drive 2 months in a hot Jeep without any A/C. Talk about fun. We try to time our trips so we can avoid rush hour traffic. Montgomery is probably the worst for traffic, although we've gotten caught once in a while in construction south of Birmingham. Once we get south of Montgomery though, we get on some back roads, and it is very relaxing for the rest of the trip. Going north, it isn't to bad until we get to Chattanooga. And from there to Knoxville it can be a real mess. Yep, I agree with everything you said. I've dealt with pretty bad traffic in every single city you mentioned. I'm glad you're able to enjoy some of the ride with the back roads. It seems like they're always doing construction on the main highways in B'ham.

I am! Come on down! We don't bite!

Oh, lovely 65. I bet you love the traffic. Yeah, the heat is awful. It's humid and smothering. Last year I had to drive 2 months in a hot Jeep without any A/C. Talk about fun.

Wow thank you so much for such a detailed reply. I had no idea about the gas pains lol hopefully it doesn't effect me to much . I've been practicing smaller sips lately, I was a gulper too lol. Again thank you very much for sharing your experience You're very welcome! If you do feel the gas pains, remember to walk. When you get sleepy and want to rest, try to lay at an incline. If you're still in pain, ask the nurse for Dilaudid if the liquid Hydrocodone doesn't help. Good luck, and keep us updated!

I actually cheated the night before my surgery. It was a complete accident. It wasn't a major issue, though. I was told to be on a strict liquid diet for 6 days, and a clear liquid diet on the 7th day. I did so well on my liquid diet, and barely felt any major hunger. Well, on the 7th night, I somehow forgot that I was supposed to be on strictly clear liquid for the whole day right before my surgery; I poured myself a glass of Lactaid with sugar free chocolate syrup. I panicked, but my surgeon said it was ok. My surgery was very successful. So technically, yes, I cheated. It was truly an accident (I blame how exhausted I was and having my mind on so many things). But I didn't eat anything solid for the whole week before my surgery date.

My recovery was easier than I expected. I was only in pain for 2 days after my surgery. The pain I felt was from the trapped CO2 gas in my shoulder. I also had body aches (kinda like the ones you get when you have the flu). But all of that went away by the 3rd day. It was like I woke up feeling reborn, lol. Another thing that caused discomfort was the fact that I could not empty my bladder completely. I always get like this after surgery. It's a condition known as postoperative urinary retention. I had trouble completely emptying my bladder for about 5-7 days. It was uncomfortable because, for days, I constantly felt the urge to urinate. I was able to urinate a bit here and there, but not as much as I wanted to. The feeling wasn't painful, it was just annoying, lol. My incisions barely hurt at all. They were only slightly tender. My wounds were completely closed in about 4 weeks. The only trouble I had once I got home was getting in all my fluids. It was hard because I was not hungry at all, and I'm a natural gulper; it's impossible to gulp anything because your stomach is swollen from the surgery. I was unable to drink a lot for about 3 weeks. It was hard and a bit frustrating, but definitely worth it. You have to sip everything for several weeks. The reason it was so hard for me is because I get impatient and I sometimes forget to sip because I get easily distracted, lol. Getting in your fluids can be a bit painful if you drink too fast or gulp. It feels like the liquid is hard to get down. It can be uncomfortable, but it's manageable. Just remember to take small, frequent sips. You'll do fine. I don't know if anyone warned you about the CO2 gas pain. Some people experience it, some people don't. As for me, lord have mercy... When I came out of surgery, I felt like I was having a hard time breathing; it felt like something was trapped in my sternum. The nurse reassured me that it was just trapped gas, and within about 2 minutes, I was asleep again. When I woke back up, the pain in my sternum was gone. A few hours later, I started to feel the dreaded gas pain in my left shoulder. The gas pain was the absolute hardest part of this whole thing. It felt as if someone hit my arm with a hammer as hard as they could. The liquid Hydrocodone was not touching the pain, so I requested Dilaudid. The nurse didn't want to give me any, so then my request became a demand. She tried saying that the Dilaudid wouldn't help my pain, but little did she know, I've had 3 kidney stones; if Dilaudid can help that much pain, then I know it can help any pain. She finally gave me the Dilaudid, and sure enough, it took the edge off. It didn't make the pain go away completely, but it helped enough for me to be able to sleep. My nurse kept telling me to walk to get rid of the pain. I had already walked several times that day, and since it was after midnight, I wanted to sleep. Don't get me wrong, walking DOES help the gas pain. You can be in so much pain from the trapped gas, and once you start walking, the pain goes away within seconds. But laying down makes the pain come back full force. Some people can lay at an incline and have no pain. As for me, I couldn't lay flat or lay at an incline. I was only able to sit up at a 90 degree angle. But, the Dilaudid did help, and I eventually fell asleep. The next day in recovery, the gas pain in my shoulder was almost gone. It was only slightly lingering discomfort (not enough to cause a fuss). They took my tube out (it didn't hurt), and I was released from the hospital. When I got home, I laid down to sleep. When I woke up, I had body aches. I felt like I had been beaten up in an alley somewhere. So I drank some Water and broth, took a B12 Vitamin, and went back to sleep. When I woke up the next day, the body aches were completely gone. The aches are known as postoperative muscle pain. They make you feel icky, but they go away after you rest. I know it sounds miserable, but only because I explained in detail. In the long run, all of this was 100% worth it. Just imagine yourself being sick for 1-3 days. Most people don't have much discomfort after a few days. I've had 6 surgeries from age 16 - 25. Having my gallbladder removed and a breast reduction were harder than my WLS. I was surprised by how easy this was, especially since it's a pretty serious procedure.

Yes, absolutely. The WLS definitely helps you keep the weight off. You are what's called a "yo-yo dieter". That means you are able to diet, but you go back to your old eating habits, which causes you to gain back the weight, plus some. The reason you gain back your weight is because you are still hungry, even though you have lost the weight. The reason is because you are overeating, which caused you to gain weight. Overeating also causes your stomach to stretch. The stomach stretches naturally. But if you continue to overeat and stretch your stomach, it can stretch so much that it doesn't shrink back to normal size. Stretching the stomach that much is causing an empty space, which needs food to fill it so that you aren't hungry. You have to eat more food in order to feel satisfied; and when you eat more, you gain more. The hunger pangs that you feel are from the irritated walls of your stomach. Your stomach walls are irritated because they have been stretched beyond normal capacity. Many people have different reasons for overeating in the first place: Depression, boredom, marriage, divorce, etc. People like to eat, so it's normal to want to chow down on a lot of food. If we didn't like food, then where would we get the motivation to eat? Who wants to chew and swallow something if it isn't fun? No one. I, myself, am a "yo-yo dieter". I lost over 30 pounds in 2 months a few years ago. Then the holidays came, and I got clumsy. I got so clumsy that I eventually went back to my old ways of overeating, and put the 30 pounds back on, plus another 30 pounds. It's like I went without my "crack", and once I was able to have it again, I went overboard to make up for lost time, lol. The WLS is the most effective method for losing weight and keeping it off long-term, because it is actually shrinking your stomach. When the stomach is small, it cannot take in a lot of food. Not being able to take in a lot of food helps the hunger pangs feel less aggressive. When they cut out 90% of your stomach, they are also cutting out the part of the stomach that produces a chemical called ghrelin. Ghrelin is known as the "hunger hormone". Even though they cut out this part of the stomach, that does not mean all the cravings disappear completely. It does help with the cravings, but they can still remain. The reason is because a lot of overweight people are emotional eaters. Some people overeat even if they aren't hungry. But the WLS definitely helps you make better decisions and keep the weight off longer. I've never lost this much weight in my life. After my WLS, I lost 60 pounds in just 4 months. I feel like I've lost almost half of myself (in a good way, lol). I used to be so hot natured before my WLS. Now that I've lost all this weight, I always feel cold. I actually don't mind it much, because I hate being hot, and because it reminds me that I'm losing a lot of weight. I definitely recommend this surgery. In just 4 months, I have regained so much energy, confidence, and most of my health issues are nearly gone. I feel great.

Thank you so much! I also have PCOS. It's awful. I'm glad you're doing better, as well. You're so close to your goal weight! Keep up the good work!

Exactly! I mean, what normal person will say things like that to you just for the heck of it? I know the woman at my work wasn't worried about my safety, because she can be so spiteful and mean. She talks about me behind my back and has even called me names (not to my face, but I overheard her). So, the more I thought about it and discussed it with other people, I realized that she is just insecure and jealous. She doesn't want me to succeed because, if I do, then she will still be overweight and miserable. Some funny things that happened: My mom kept telling me that my co-worker is jealous of me. At first, I didn't believe it because I couldn't understand why she would be. But my mom kept telling me to watch for signs and pay attention to how she acts. So I started paying more attention. I remember one day I came into work and told her I was going on a diet (this was last year when I tried dieting on my own). The next day, she announced that she was going on a diet, too. I was happy for her. She failed her diet in 3 days, because I noticed her munching on chips, Cookies, and cakes. I lost about 16 pounds, but stalled in my weight. I then regained the weight, because I'm a "yo-yo dieter". Another day, I walked in wearing Nautica sneakers that are black with white trim (they kinda look like Keds). She actually complimented my shoes and said they were cute. I was so excited that she thought that, because I'm so used to her being kinda bitter towards me. The next day, she was wearing sneakers that looked so much like mine. They were like the knock-off brand that you get at Walmart. I thought that was odd that she wore them right after complimenting mine. On another day, I wore my hair down. (I don't wear my hair down often because it's long and I hate dealing with it while at work, because I work around a lot of mail.) She kinda complimented my hair by saying, "Oh, I see you're wearing your hair down today." Within the next two days, she walked into work wearing a long-haired weave (she's African American). Again, I thought that was odd. On another day, I was just working at the mail machine, and I had my hair in a ponytail. She made another comment and said, "Her hair is so long. I wish I could wear my hair in a ponytail like that." She didn't even compliment me. She just says things in a third-person point of view as if I can't hear her, even though I'm literally 10 feet away from her. The next day, she wore her hair in a ponytail. I couldn't believe it, lol. When she found out that I was having this WLS, she was so mean and negative about it. It was like she wanted me to fail. But, while she was at her desk, I overheard her talking to her daughter on the phone about how they need to go to a weight loss clinic. I thought it was ridiculous how she was so negative about my WLS decision, yet she's going to a weight loss clinic to get stimulants and weight loss shots... And you know what else? She hasn't even complimented me on my VERY obvious weight loss. Everyone around me, even people who don't work in my department, say things like, "Wow, I don't know what you're doing to lose weight, but you look great!" Or "You're coming down!" Yet, my co-worker doesn't say anything about my weight loss. I've lost 60 pounds in 4 months. So, I asked her if she noticed I have lost weight. She said, "I can tell." Oh, ok then.

Wow, what an interesting name for a city. I love it! That's cool that you travel through AL. I frequent Birmingham.

Hahaha! That sounds like a good plan! Please keep us updated on what you find out about that girl. I'm sure we are all very curious to know what happens to her, lol. Now that sounds like fun! I'd love to meet you guys!

LMAO! All of your posts make me laugh. I love your wit! That woman you spoke to should not be giving you that information, and she should allow you to talk to your RCNP if you request to. The fact that she made you go through all of that unnecessary bull crap, is borderline neglect. If I were her boss, she would be written up for that. It honestly doesn't matter what she's used to telling her patients or what she thinks your RCNP will say. She is not qualified to give you any medical information about your health. Honestly, it seems to me that she was offended by the fact that you were unwilling to hold again, and she wanted to give you the run-around just so she could be a jerk. I just cannot tolerate that kind of passive aggressive behavior. All of us on this post should have a Bariatric meet-up, and go up to that woman to show her the wrath of the people who are on strict diets, and aren't in the mood to tolerate egotistical know-it-alls. (Only slightly kidding. )

That's great! I lost 9 pounds in a week while on the liquid diet, only to gain back every single pound from being on an IV while in the hospital, lol! I'm telling you, everyone's body is different. When I weighed 255, my blood work was fine. Now that I've lost 60 pounds, my liver enzymes are elevated (which usually indicates fatty liver disease from being obese). I mean, what in the world?! Haha. Keep us updated on how things go!

Thanks so much for your reply! It's just so odd that they're going up now, and were normal when I was at my heaviest weight. My body is confusing, lol.

I recently went to the doctor because I was having horrible flu-like symptoms. They never officially diagnosed me with anything, and just said it was a viral infection (I guess that's what I get for going to an Urgent Care). They took 3 vials of blood and called me a few days later, and told me that my liver enzymes are elevated. That makes me think that I have fatty liver disease. My liver enzymes were normal when I weighed 255. Now that I've lost 60 pounds, my liver enzymes are elevated? So it can't be fatty liver disease, can it? I don't even drink often (I very rarely drink). The nurse ran a panel on my blood for Hepatitis and found Hepatitis B antigens in the panel. She asked if I had ever been vaccinated for Hep B; and I was when I was 16. So, she said that the blood panel is just showing that I'm immune to Hep B. (Thank God) When she mentioned it, I panicked and was confused because I know I was vaccinated. Plus, I'm not even sexually active and I don't have tattoos, lol. So, I'm glad she told me that a blood panel can detect a past vaccination. *whew* So, now that Hepatitis is out of the equation, what could be happening? Well... As I'm writing this, I just Googled causes of fatty liver disease, and it said that rapid weight loss and malnutrition can cause it. Great. I feel like I'm eating enough, sometimes too much. I've lost 60 pounds in 4 months (I lost 21 pounds in my first 2 weeks post-op). I'm taking my multivitamins, getting in my protein, exercising (walking at least 2 miles a day), and I feel mostly fine except for a few odd symptoms... - I've been having slight cramps in my lower abdomen and lower back (kinda feels like period cramps, but I'm several days away from my period). - I'm peeing a lot more than I was a few days ago and my urine smells like stale coffee (and I'm not drinking coffee). - My urine is bright yellow/orange first thing in the morning, but turns clear when I pee during the day. - They did a urinalysis and didn't detect a UTI, but instead detected dehydration. (I've been drinking fluids.) I'm probably worried over nothing. Has anyone had this problem, or does anyone know what might be happening? I've made an appointment to see my primary doctor in January, but I just want some peace of mind until then.

The Bariatric Advantage powder tastes too chalky for me, lol. My favorite brands are Premier Protein and Muscle Milk. They have a more liquid texture and actually taste pretty good. Premier Protein is the best option because it's low in carbs and sugar, and it has 30g of protein in each serving. They taste a lot like Slim Fast, in my opinion. You can buy a pack of 4 for about $8 at Walmart, in the pharmacy section.

Everyone is different. When I went to a support group, I met a woman who was getting the Bypass. Two weeks after her surgery, we all had another support group, and the woman who had the Bypass hadn't lost a single pound. She was doing everything correctly, and she was so confused as to why she wasn't losing weight. But a month later after that, I met up with her again, and she had lost over 40 pounds. Your body is probably in, what I like to call, "pioneer mode". Right now, your body is probably in a slight panic because it's not used to this new way of eating. It's trying to hold onto every last calorie that it can because it thinks that it's starving. You can't pull your body aside and say, "Hey look, calm down. You're allowed lose weight, because I'm just changing things. Don't worry, you're not dying." Lol. Make sure you tell your surgeon about your concern and see what he/she thinks.

This is completely normal. The first dreaded stall usually happens 3-4 weeks after your surgery. I had my surgery on August 4th. I was teetering between 214 and 213 for about 2 weeks. Then I started losing again. I now weigh 195. Some people say the stall happens after your body drops a bunch of Water weight because your body goes into a sort of "panic". Your body is confused and is trying to figure out what's going on. I call it "Pioneer Mode", which is basically your body trying to hold onto every last calorie that it can. Your body is so used to your usual routine of overeating, and now that you are eating a lot less, your body thinks it's starving. I don't know if this is what helped me get away from my stall, but I remember adding a lot of Protein to my meals. I went out for Japanese and ordered beef tataki. The next day, I weighed 212. So, I really do think it's wise to eat a good amount of protein to ensure you continue to lose weight and stay healthy. Stay with this. You will start losing weight again!

I've lost some hair, but not chunks. I've noticed I shed a lot now, and I lose a bit more hair than usual when I shower. I just started taking 10,000 mcg of Biotin. Definitely consider adding Biotin to your daily intake. It helps with hair and nail health.

Thank you so much!

Stay far away from any food that smells good. I did fine on my liquid diet, except for when a coworker started eating tacos. I didn't give in, but I had to walk out of the room until she was finished. Drink lots of water, broth, protein drinks, popcicles, anything you can to keep full. Don't give in. You've come so far. It will definitely pay off! I've lost 60 pounds in just 4 months. You can do this!