Navigating the Wilderness

I'm very sorry you feel that way! Ryan's question had an easy answer, something that most questions on here do not.

Yes, you are right. You make and offer, which is contingent upon an inspection. If the inspection comes back with issues, then you can either lower your offer to accommodate the expenses of fixing things, or you can walk away and find another place. Of course, you will need to spend another $250 - $400 for an inspection on the next place as well. Either way, it is well worth the money.

Ditto what sc101071 said. I also recommend following the inspector around the house when they do the inspection to double-check what they are looking at, and generally for your own knowledge as well.

Yes, yes, yes! I truly believe it is a lifelong journey to deal with it. As far as tracking, I do not do it, but then again I am only 5 weeks out and eat the same 3 things every day in the same quantity, so no need for it at this point. I will say when I was tracking in the past it got to the point where I felt like it was a burden. Having said that, if you hit a stall or gain weight, then yes tracking would be very important to evaluate what you are doing right and wrong.

In the mid 90's I had the same problem. I went from 215 to 145 pounds in a short period of time. Mine was at the base of my tailbone and got so large it finally burst (in the middle of class and I was wearing white shorts O_o). Since that time it occasionally flares up, but nothing like it was. I have never had it looked at by a doctor or surgeon, but I do remember the pain very, very clearly. Sorry you have to deal with this, I would be very upset if the doctor made me wait 4 weeks to talk to me.

I converted 5 weeks ago. To me the pain was comparable, and as far as incisions go, the only site that really hurt was the one where they had to dig out my port. I took exactly one pain pill the day I got home and never needed anything except the occasional dose of liquid Tylenol after. As far as recovery period goes, I am still tired and foggy from the surgery. I was back to work in 2 weeks after the Band, but it took me a month to get back after the sleeve. It was not due to pain, just being tired/weak. I could have gone back to work after 2 weeks if needed.

Is your dad 310 pounds or more? If not, then he really has no idea about what you are going through, and I would have a hard time listening to that advice. There are some true words my friend! Look, family is very important, but when it comes down to it, do they have to carry your weight? Do they have to deal with thrombophlebitis, painful back and knees, and your high blood pressure? No, they don't, so this ultimately needs to be your decision, not theirs. Do what you feel is right for you and you alone, because you are the only one who will have to live with that decision.

I lost the least amount of weight the first week after surgery. It went much better from there.

If I sit in a chair slouched it feels like a horse kicked my ribs and I have to sit up straight. This comes from body mass changes that impact everything from your body posture to internal organs and their positioning as you lose weight. That said, have you let your surgeon know you are still having issues?

Yes, relax! Everyone having this surgery goes through the same exact concerns you have. It is very normal, but don't let fear and doubt cloud your judgement. I had incision complications after my surgery, but it doesn't even come close to making me regret having a vsg.

Yup, I have a hiatal hernia and GERD. Still went with the sleeve and have had no problems since the surgery. I am convinced that this is due to the types of food I now eat. Getting rid of the greasy foods, soda, and not overeating have made a huge difference.

Not sure I'd risk it, but if you gotta do it, perhaps let the soda go flat first.

Yes, I did. In this case it was the incision where they removed my lap band port. I trust and genuinely like my surgeon, but I am going to tell you exactly how it went down: 1 week post-op follow-up: Me: This bulge above the incision hurts and I am afraid I may have some issue, I am also leaking fluid from it. Dr: That is a healing ridge, do not worry about it. 3 weeks post-op: Woke up in the middle of the night, blood leaking everywhere since I am on blood thinners. Area around incision was red and hot, ended up in ER. Dr: Why didn't you tell me sooner, this is a serious infection. Me: Death stare. So, long story short, I started seeping like 3 days after surgery, my surgeon told me not to worry, and I ended up with an infection. That being said, it was really no big deal. One week of oral antibiotics and a slower healing wound. The moral is you know your body better than the surgeon does, so if you think you are even remotely having an issue, press him/her to look into it. That being said, my guess is 99% of leaking/oozing wounds end up never having an issue.

I think you would only have to worry if you were NOT having some anxiety. It is very normal for anyone going through WLS. Best wishes!

You know I felt the same way for a bit as well. I kept asking myself why the heck didn't I just eat properly instead of doing the surgery, I could at least still eat normal portions of food that way! It was at that time I realized that having the surgery was the right thing, because all I was thinking about was how much more food I could still be eating, which let me know I would have failed at the diet once again. For me the surgery was not about losing weight, I have never had a problem doing that, it was about keeping the lost weight off, that is where I failed over and over again. I am quite happy I chose the surgery, but you really do need to weigh out the pros and cons.

Ditto most comments here. I woke up yelling "Hurts!' over and over. It did hurt and bad, however, I also did this on purpose because I have had surgery so many times before (not just gastric) I have found that in recovery you need to make it known and quickly if you are in pain. There were a couple surgeries where I tried to be a trooper and push through it, but I realized it was much better to ask for help ASAP. All that said, once they gave me dilaudid, all the pain went away. In addition, I think I only had 3 or so shots of it in the hospital, then they put me on a Tylenol drip which worked pretty darn well.

I don't know if you knocked yourself out of ketosis per se, but you are probably on the right path blaming the noodles. Carbs will stimulate hunger every time and you probably were just getting your body used to low carbs when you re-introduced them to your diet, thus starting over from scratch. I would talk with your doctor/surgeon about the issue and see if they have any recommendations. I am certainly no dietitian, but it seems the more Protein I eat, the less I think about or am hungry for food. This of course only started happening after 3 weeks of carb withdrawal.

I put in bold something you said. The night before surgery my happy wife came home and couldn't understand why I was not happy. Then I busted out crying "I'm loosing my best friend". That is a hard hard truth. The first week out of surgery was a mental battle all day against cravings, and not ice cream and chips, but things like tomatoes and salad. Things I would not have imagined I would crave. There was much more subsequent crying in the weeks to come. Now, 1 month post-op I will say it was worth it and more. The cravings will subside and the energy you get back after getting some of the weight of is A-MAZE-ING!! The best thing I can say is to focus on your goal! The food will become secondary when you get on the scale and see the weight you have lost. It will become secondary when you feel better. It will become secondary when you throw the damn diabetes meds away when you get to the point that you don't need them anymore. Most importantly, food will be an afterthought once you realize that you CAN run through the field of flowers with your daughter, and the feeling you get from that is sooo much better than anything you ever got from food! Best of luck, stay strong, focus on your goals!!

I just had the conversion done. My take is lap bands are pure evil. All of my incisions have healed from the VSG part of the surgery, but the one for the port removal got infected and has been a PITA. Here's to making a better choice the second time around!

I made sure I had some liquid Tylenol, well Equate generic Acetaminophen that is. I found it to work much better than the opiates they gave me which left my ears ringing like mad. Of course, check with Dr. first. And yes Gas-x, Gas-x, Gas-x!

That is a tough decision. As an aside, you are an absolute rock star for losing 225 pounds so far. I just wanted to point that out.

I am just about to pass one month from when I had VSG surgery performed...and while there have been many stories already posted here mentioning the ups and downs after surgery, I am going to focus on one group that I have the utmost respect for: POST VSG (or any WLS) Surgery Patients with kids! There are tons of posts in here from parents who literally go home from surgery and start cooking for their children the next day. These people cook food they themselves want to eat, but can't. They are tempted by the food the rest of the family considers 'normal', but is no longer part of our new eating culture. As I sat home crying while I fought against the horrible cravings that presented while on my liquid diet, I thought how the hell do these people do it? The only answer is they are truly special individuals. Bariatric heroes if you will. I do not have children and thus did not have to contend with this issue, but I could not help but think there is absolutely no way I could deal with cooking for others while only having liquids. I think you are all awesome. If your kids and/or spouse does not tell you that you are awesome everyday, come back and read the following sentence. You Are Awesome!!! It took me 3 weeks straight to untangle the wicked web of carbs and sugar, but it has finally come. I have lost 35 pounds this month. I feel like after all that I just need to let the unsung heroes of WLS know that there are people out here who hold you in very high regard. You are my heroes!!

I have a bunch of friends and coworkers who swear by the squatty potty. The commercial for it is worth the price of admission alone: Warning, if you just had surgery, do NOT watch the video. I am not responsible for any stitches busting loose while laughing.

Good question. As it turned out I was put into a pre-op class with all VSGs. I have always known VSG had less complications and was a much quicker recovery time, but having the difference between what the VSGs had to go through vs what I would have to go through spelled out in detail was very eye opening. It's a mixture of less time in the OR/hospital, less supplements for the rest of my life, less things that could go wrong afterwards. It was literally like sitting through a punch list of reasons why the VSG was a better choice for me than RNY, though it certainly wasn't like it was presented that way on purpose. I'm sure that was not their intention, but that is how it ended up playing out. As for your surgery, I wish you all the best and a very quick recovery!

It was the staff that said everything, though I am sure it was the surgeon that yelled at the staff. Either way, they refused to see me any earlier than 2.5 weeks from now because "There are other people who have been waiting". As if I had not been waiting for the last six months. It was just very disconcerting to be feel like I was thrown away because I changed my mind on the procedure I was most comfortable with. Basically I just can't believe they would treat me this way. I never missed an appointment, diligently went through all the surgery clearances, which I am guessing I will now have to repeat in 3 months. Went through education class, went through pre-op at the hospital. I spoke with my insurance and they said all it would take was the surgeon to call them and explain why the procedure was being changed and they would then approve/deny the same day.