B.Annie

I'm 3 weeks out and was so excited that I hadn't experienced buyers remorse... yet. Everything was smooth and weight was coming off. THEN it hit. The traditional woman's "week before" cravings hit and so did the buyers remorse. I miss taking real bites of food and enjoying feeling full to my soul. Warm gooey food. This new full feeling is all wrong. It doesn't give leeway. One bite too much turns into horror. It's painful, burns, and just plain sucks. My head hunger this week has been worse than ever and it is mixing with my real hunger to make it hard to tell which is which. I've over done myself more yesterday and today and have thrown up 4 times by necessity. It's like all of a sudden I regressed mentally to forget everything. I've been wanting the enjoyment of food so badly that I tortured myself physically. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm excited about it. I know I will do better and I'm confident I'll get over this mental hiccup. I'm just mad. I WANT to enjoy food, but now it seems it's officially just for survival. HW: 328 (02/17/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 253

Not clergy, just involved deeply. Our sr pastor recently stepped down due to some underlying sin that our elders were trying to council through. When they informed the congregation, they claimed to want to be transparent however the explanation given lead to rumors. They came forward the next week and cleared up the details further without going into too much discussion on the topic nor sharing exact details. The outcome was better, but we lost a lot of our congregation (that happens when people follow a man and not God). I share because I feel there is a way to explain this without giving your life details over to a group of recovering humans. I have shared with everyone that I have undergone a needed (for me) surgery which will, in Gods calling, lead to better health. If my pastor went on a sabbatical to rest and heal in order to come back stronger for God, there would be only celebrations for that. It's my firm belief that just because you are a man of God, that does not mean that you have to share every detail of your life with other people. It just means that you walk in the faith, lead by example, and teach the truth. Do you share every time you have sex with your wife? No. Because there are intimate facts of our life that we hold dear just between ourselves and our God. So tell the congregation that your on a mission of health in order to minister more deeply with them, ridding yourself of the sin of addiction to food (if that's what you have), and you look forward to leading the church toward both spiritual health via teaching and physical health via example when you return. HW: 328 (02/17/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 253

6 month visits. Luckily they took months that I had seen my doc before the consultation with the surgeon and I had seen her for other things 3 consecutive months prior. So my process was only 2 1/2 months after my consultation.

My surgeon said something that helped me. If you complete ALL of your requirements, there is no way ahcccs will deny you. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 262

I have ahcccs university family care and was approved within 24 hours of the surgeon submitting my paperwork. Surgery date was scheduled for less than 2 weeks after approval and all went wonderfully. Not a single issue or concern! HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 262

Each plan is different. My surgeon confirmed with me yesterday that he does NOT want me eating more than 3x a day - breakfast lunch and dinner. I am meant to have 50g protein using protein powder or clear premier protein to supplement the rest. He said that as long as I eat the right things, the right way, and stop when full, I will build good habits (snacking all day is not a good habit according to him) and lose weight. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 262

Not too well. I heard the scale crying and then I realized it was a kitten who had walked in the closet as I was putting away the scale and got shut in. Kitten is free, scale is still in confinement HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 262

Dear Scale, I never even knew you before I started this process almost 4 months ago. You were just an enemy I had to endure at random times so a medical professional could judge me before they spoke to me. I often bore through sickness and pain alone just to evade your reality. Because it wasn't my reality. Through my lying eyes, the mirror didn't show what you claimed I was. When my eyes opened I considered you a friend for a time, but only when you showed me what I wanted. Now, these last 2 weeks, you have become my crutch and my obsession. I visit you every morning and mourn when you have not changed for me. I became dependent on seeing you and I have demanded more from you than you should have to give. So, dear friend and closest enemy, our frequent visits have come to an end. Your 2 week solitary confinement begins immediately. You acquaintance only, Me HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 262

You've got my support and complete empathy. Although my husband knows, no one else does. It is a huge secret for me too and I would be devastated if it ever got out. Today is the hardest for me. I'm 2 weeks post op and 4 days post pneumonia diagnosis. With all the meds and supplements, my stomach is pure acid. My husband has been sleeping on the couch since my return home (we have kittens we are trying to rehome and they're currently playful at night), I've tried to initiate sexy times on 5 occasions since surgery and have been denied all but once. I have 5 kids who I have to care for and a husband whose working long hours in this season. I'm mentally and physically exhausted. Which leads to every other emotion and feeling being exaggerated. Today is hard. Tomorrow will be easier. I don't have support groups in my area and the only place I can go is here. Welcome and know that you are understood. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 262

Do Not over pack. One bag should be fine - carry on size preferred so you don't have to fuss with baggage claim or walking around larger airports with a bunch of stuff. Call the airline beforehand to ask how wide their seats are (usually 17-19 inches wide) and how long their belts are. You might need to buy a 2nd seat or request a belt extension. Bring chewing gum (at minimum for on the way there) to help pop your ears when you're reaching altitude. Bring a soft pillow to hold in your lap on the plane. Turbulence won't feel good after surgery. Don't wear pants if you can help it. Just a dress. You don't need the band digging in. Bring earphones and music or earplugs. If you don't hear the noises as it's preparing for takeoff, it will help your nerves. Ask your surgeon for an extra dose of nausea meds for the trip home. Use your incentive spirometer on the plane during the process. It will help focus your breathing and calm your nerves. Smile and be nice. When you're a doll, they'll all usually be much more accommodating for anything you might need. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 262

Everything I eat or drink either tastes sugary, salty, or fake (chemically). I have a constant sweet taste on my tongue to where even water tastes like it has sugar in it. It's horrible. I've finally reached the soft protein stage where I can have tuna and beans. I've learned to mix something that tastes overly sweet with something that's overly salty. Tomato soup with a side of cottage cheese for example. I'll take a bite of one then the other and keep that route so it never gets overwhelming. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 262

I'm 12 days postop and down 10 pounds from my surgery weight. If you count all of the surgery weight I had to lose, I technically lost 30. I gained 20 from surgery and it took me a week to lose it. In the last 5 days I've lost 10.

I rocked the incentive spirometer! I was getting it to my preop line within a few hours. The spirometer doesn't stop the bacteria from spreading once it's introduced to your lungs though. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

Nope, no gargle HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

No fever and no coughing. It was an odd experience HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

Yesterday morning I stated having pretty sharp pain in my left ribs after grocery shopping. It felt like a muscle pull in the back with pain shooting in the front. It was sore to breathe deep like a muscle pull and I spent the night doing stretches and the morning with hot/ice packs and Google. Nothing worked and as it got worse, everything I googled or searched on this forum said it was "normal" after WLS. I took pain meds and took a nap to wake up in excruciating pain. Went to the ER and after a few hours, was informed I had pneumonia. I've never had pneumonia without being sick first so the ER dr explained it can happen from being intubated during WLS. I'm 9 days out of surgery Note to all - don't wait and assume google knows all. my pain was almost exactly like what everyone was sharing was normal and absolutely nothing like the pneumonias I've experienced before. Heal well! HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

Congratulations! Only a week left

Also, dr sprunger worked directly under the surgeon who invented the bypass. He was trained by him. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

I had mine May 24th with dr sprunger in Phoenix as well! He has a very type A personality which means he likes things to be perfect. And who wouldn't want that in a surgeon?? HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

Awesome! Yes he's been wonderful. I love how Type A personality is because that means he likes perfection. Who wouldn't want that in a surgeon?? Lol HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

In my state, by law they're required to make a decision within 15 days. My surgery was approved by insurance within 24 hours HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

Yes!!! I feel better now that you explained your post surgery weight with bloating. I too was so physically bloated and heavy. I finally weighed myself 4 days post op when I felt the bloat dissipating and was 18 pounds higher still than pre surgery! I'm ending my 8th day post op and still need to lose 4 pounds to get back to preop weight. It's frustrating. Thank you for sharing.

Yeah cottage cheese, plain yogurt, and creamed soups added to everything that I could have with clear liquids. My discharge allowable foods is attached

We had surgery around the same time. I can get 3-4 swallows of water down before I feel incredibly tight and a few seconds of discomfort. I haven't yet felt hunger I feel full all day and water makes it worse. I have 3 "meals" now that I'm on full liquids. I agree that the full feeling seems different for everyone. I can eat 1/4 cup of food (creamed soup or cottage cheese) and be stuffed to the brim. It literally feels full and tight up to my throat with no warning- Not over time. I'll take a bite and all of a sudden that's the bite that triggers that feeling so I'll stop. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW:

Awesome news! I am down the same amount since surgery on the 24th but the surgery IV and swelling and bloating put me up 18 pounds. So I still technically have 5 pounds left to go until I'm back to pre-surgery weight LOL HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: