Berry78

Hey y'all, long time no see! I'm 14 months postop, and have lost 111lbs. The losses pretty much stopped at 10 months postop. Nowadays I can eat any and everything. My taste changes weren't terribly long-lived. I can eat 2 cups of food at a time, so basically everything feels like I never even had surgery! I still don't drink with my meals, but I do drink right up until I start eating. About 11 months postop I started having problems from my vitamins. My toes swelled up and were painful. I don't know what I was getting too much of, so I just quit them. I still am taking b12 and A and D, but no more multis. Oops, got to go!

I know I've missed the last couple weigh ins. I've been holding steady at 196lbs.

Woo hoo!!! Congrats! Fluff.. nah, the decapitation happened preop.. see the before pic.

198lbs last Wed.

Glad you sound like you're doing better! Now you know you are extra sensitive to pain meds. {Hugs}

Ask if it was a reaction to anesthesia. If it was, then you can feel confident that it is now out of your system and you won't have more trouble. {Hugs} I know it's a scary time, but since you now KNOW what is going on, it shows how much better you are doing! Like you said yourself, when you were at your sickest, you didn't know what was happening. Once you can get some sleep, your mind will have a chance to process this whole thing, and it'll quickly become "old news". Having had a scary time after giving birth to my last child, I know what you are going through. What helped me the most was to find out exactly what was going on with me. Much of my fear was because I didn't really understand what was wrong, and without that understanding, there were all sorts of "boogeymen" in my thoughts. I created problems where there weren't any. The biggest thing I learned was to not rely on nurses to explain what is going on. Get a doctor to tell you, and make sure they don't use "doctor words". As for vomiting blood, it's probably from bleeding during the surgery, and once you "clean it out", the vomiting should stop. You can also tell them you are feeling anxious, and whether there is anything they could give your for anxiety. (They may say "no" if they're concerned about medication reactions, but it doesn't hurt to ask).

Blood pressure meds can have side effects. Slightly elevated blood pressure (systolic up to about 140 or 150) isn't super dangerous.. so it's a judgement call as to the benefit of medicating these elevated pressures. I chose not to medicate mine once I was consistently under 150 systolic. If I was running 148-152, I'd probably take a half-dose, depending on the med. Of course, this is with the idea that I'm in a weight-reduction phase, and expect the pressures to continue improving. If I were in a weight- stable phase, then I'd want to stay on a blood pressure medication with pressures over 140.

My blood pressure was very high the day of surgery (190/95). A few weeks after surgery it went down to 145/85, and stayed in that range until I hit 200lbs, when it became normal (120/80). For me, getting close to a normal weight was more important than the actual surgery. So.. keep taking your medication, keep an eye on your pressures, and as you lose more and get closer to goal, you may find you need fewer meds, and perhaps get off of them at goal. (Not everyone CAN get off their meds.. there are plenty of normal-weight people running around that still need blood pressure meds.. but a normal weight will give you your best shot at it).

At 2 weeks out, I was still on liquids.. forget chicken breast!! Protein shakes, water, milk, juice, decaf coffee, tea, and walking.. no rides that are rougher than a car ride. Remember, your stomach isn't completely scarred over for 6-9 weeks after surgery. It is possible to develop leaks during the first 2 months postop, so you have to adhere 100% to your doctor's orders. Good luck!

Bands sometimes can develop problems after several years (like you are experiencing). They like to slip out of place and can even "dig" into the stomach and/or liver (called "eroding"). These problems can feel like heartburn and indigestion. Please do get checked out. If your surgeon finds a problem, your band will need to come out. This is also a good time to do some research into switching from band to sleeve or bypass. (Sometimes sleeve isn't an option because of scar tissue.. so check into both possibilities.) Depending on your situation, they sometimes will do a band to sleeve or bypass revision in one surgery.. sometimes they want you to heal for a while without the band before converting. Here's hoping for good news from your surgeon! (And if you don't have a surgeon right now, you need to find one to keep up with your care... you are a bariatric patient for life.)

Yes, it is fluids from the hospital. You need to really push to be getting in your 64oz fluids each day. Congrats on your surgery, and welcome to the losers' bench!

Wowsers.. that's almost a pound a day! Were you not getting your vitamins/protein requirements with the band in? Start working toward nutrition goals, without eating extras. 60-80g protein 35+g fat 75g -100g carbs Aim for about 1200 calories, which will stop the weight gain, and probably get the scale moving back down. If you DON'T lose weight on 1200 calories, then you need to get your thyroid checked. Here is a sample menu: Breakfast: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese and 1 whole piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.) Lunch: 1 egg and 1 cup pinto beans and 2 T. salsa Dinner: 4 oz protein and 1 cup veggies (green beans, spinach, etc), and 1 cup white or sweet potatoes with a pat of butter. optional: 1-2 cups lowfat milk If you are still hungry, concentrate on non-starchy veggies.

I agree that it's all about how many calories you eat. Some people stop "naturally", because they are "naturally" eating enough calories to stop losing at that point. (Enough room, appetite, time, and desire to eat). If you are at goal and want to stop losing (I assume you haven't updated your profile.. it still says you are 237lbs) then you need to examine what you are eating, and find healthy ways to boost your calories. I love starchy veggies for this. Potatoes, beans, etc. Lots of nutrition in a calorically dense package. Add a pat of butter for an extra 50-100 calories.

12/13 198lbs

Technically, I was 200.00 on 12/06, but I want to count today's 199.8 instead. By next week, onederland will be old news! Lol!