Molly23

I've been trying not to focus on the end goal and keep the small goals in my mind. Mostly getting excited each time I go down 10lbs. Seeing the numbers change has been really exciting the whole time. I just realized though that I'm closer to my goal weight than my highest weight! Definitely exciting to think about!

My highest weight was 311. When I saw that number at my PCP appointment I was in such disbelief that I weighed myself again when the nurse left the room. That was the same appointment that my PCP asked if I had ever considered surgery. I had of course thought about it for years but I was too chicken to even mention it never mind make an appointment with a surgeon. After a few weeks of realizing my health was declining and I had made countless failed attempts to lose weight I called to get a referral for WLS. When I met the surgeon the original goal, which was solely based on BMI, was 150. I'm around 5'6-5'7. The last time I met with the nutritionist she thought that 170lbs might actually be a better goal for me. I think that may factor in the possibility that I may have extra skin. Either of those goals still mean that currently at 227 I'm closer to the finish line then the start. This entire process has been different from what I expected but every single moment was worth it. There are still those days where it's difficult but reminding myself how far I've come is a huge help.

My nurse had warned me before surgery that a lot of people show weight gain between 6-10 lbs the first few days after surgery. I don't think I even weighed myself til after my 2 week post op. Also I didn't even want to bend over to take out my scale. They also recommended only weighing myself once a week. After 3 weeks I stalled for about 12 days which was frustrating. But I read a lot of people on here had the same happen at the same time. I remember for about the first month I completely regretted having surgery and thought it might not work for my but I'm still chugging along. I've been losing almost exactly 2 lbs a week since my first stall. I'm down 84lbs since my highest weight. Just keep reminding yourself of all the non scale related reasons you're doing this and it will be easier to keep focus. Measurements are another great way to see progress. I suggest taking them now if you haven't taken them since beginning the process. I didn't take mine until a month after surgery and I've lost 18 inches since then.
Best of luck! It will all be worth it!

If you're having trouble getting in your Protein since you said you aren't eating much I found a great protein Water at Target that I used when I was immediately post op. It's made by Trusource and has 20g of protein in a bottle. Kind of tasted like a melted popsicle to me. Tastes much better cold!

I am so glad somebody posted a period question on here. I'm 12 days post op and just got my period and I feel awful almost flu like,drained, slightly dizzy and everything except Water and watermelon makes me feel sick... anyone else feel like this with their first period after surgery?

I can definitely relate. I'm almost 4 months post op and I got my period for about 2 weeks for the first couple of months. I definitely felt super weak and a bit dizzy on the worst days. I had to increase my water intake. Drinking propel also helped a little with the dizziness. Last couple of months I had it for a week with a little spotting leading up to it. My PCP said it should normalize again once my weight stabilizes. Thankfully it does seem that my period is getting more normal each month even though I'm still losing.

On 2/27/2017 at 10:07 AM, bv33 said:

Question---Who says when your weight loss is complete? your surgeon? or yourself? for me, I might say 40 or 50 lbs is where I want to be, my surgeon might say 80???

so who gets to decide???

I believe that this is for surgeries approved by insurance. The appropriate weight would then be determined by the doctor. It may also be determined by the doctor in self pay procedures as well. Fluctuations in weight can undo a lot of the work the plastic surgeon does so they want to make sure you're at a stable weight for the best long term results.

I completely understand. I didn't really express how nervous I was to family and friends but I thought many times about not doing it. Just try to breathe and get some rest tonight. Follow doctors orders and you'll be just fine. I was sleeved on 4/20/17 and I've lost 50lbs since then 32 lost preop. The loss has also helped resolve chronic ankle pain and has alleviated a lot of anxiety. Remind yourself of the reasons that you're doing this. It's about much more then the weight, it's your health. Every change since surgery has been completely worth it.

Best of luck tomorrow!! It's the start of a very exciting journey!

Okay so I am 16 weeks Post Op and feel like I eat nothing. Everything sits funny except for cheese and shredded chicken. But every 2 weeks or so I go through a few days where anything and everything hurts. Drinking Water (flavored because plain water hurts) even feels like I have swallowed something wrong. It lasts about a day and a half then goes away. Kinda feels like morning sickness in a sense (Not pregnant I have done tests)
I can't drink Protein drinks. I know I am not getting enough protein... can anyone offer any advise as to what I can do? Or if this uppity tummy is normal and will pass?

Please go see your doctor. I'm 3 months post op and haven't experience me those feelings. I've had a little bit of "sticking" if I ate too quickly but protein drinks and water shouldn't cause that feeling, unless you're chugging it. The only time water has been uncomfortable is if I drink too soon after eating without realizing it. Better safe then sorry but it may be possible you have a stricture. If not they should be able to work with you to see what can help alleviate the discomfort.

I was sleeved on 4/20/17 and I've lost about 35lbs since then. Lost 30+ pre surgery.

So far it's going well and I'm feeling better. I had severe ankle pain even with prescribed pain meds twice a day. I'm no longer taking any pain meds for it and it only acts up a tiny bit at times. My hypertension meds were cut in half at the hospital. I was also able to discontinue using a CPAP and returned the machine within a month of surgery.

I was really worried about the negativity before I had surgery. I was just so nervous that people would think I was taking the "easy way" out. It is most certainly not the easy way, as I'm sure anyone post-op can confirm. Since having surgery I find myself telling anyone. If someone compliments my weight loss or asks why I was out of work I just come out with it. I realize that's not everyone's path and I didn't think I would want to share it with many people at all. I've found it a bit cathartic to just be honest about surgery. I luckily haven't had any negative reactions, at least not to my face. People are going to think what they want anyway, and all I can do is deal with my experience.

I can't imagine having someone you trust enough to disclose about surgery being so negative. I know that it's way easier said then done to ignore the comments. The truth of the matter is that what's done is done. The most important thing is that you take care of yourself and focus on your journey. You've taken a huge step towards self improvement! There's nothing wrong with that. I've found that reminding myself of the NSVs is a huge help to staying positive. You got this!

Congrats! Glad surgery went well for you. It's great that you're in such good spirits so soon after surgery. Best of luck with recovery!

I have heard this is normal. I had this happen about a week after surgery. It wasn't constant but it would happen a few times a day at least. Everything had a rotten egg flavor to it. It started to taper off and stopped completely after a couple of weeks. Just get your Water however you can. Crystal light was a big help and my NUT also approved herbal tea. There are a lot of mint herbal tea options which was also helpful. Just check with your NUT first to make sure it's okay for your plan.
Hope it goes away soon!

Amazing transformation!! All of your hard work really shows. I love the pink hair!

Congrats! Hope all goes well on Thursday! My only advice is to follow your doctors orders!

Mood swings are completely normal especially in the early stages. I can completely relate.

My NP also said that hormones and my monthly cycle could be affected. I've been having my period 2 weeks on then 2 weeks off which is enough to make someone grumpy. I'm seeing my PCP next week to see if my birth control needs adjusting. So if you're on any birth control check with your doctor/nurse to see if that needs to be changed to help regulate your hormones.

It gets better, I promise!

I'm so thankful for this site to be able to hear about everyone else's progress and experiences. It has definitely helped me though a lot of times especially in the first couple of weeks after surgery. I'm just over 2 months out from my surgery. I have those moments when I wonder if I've made enough progress or if I'm not doing well enough. There's no real guidebook to having weight loss surgery. I keep reminding myself to look at the positive changes since surgery. Yesterday I had an exciting NSV when I got to buy a plain XL shirt and some skinny jeans. Those moments are so exciting and always seem to catch me by surprise. I find a lot of times I don't really see the changes in my body when I look in the mirror. Looking at pictures makes a big difference. I have my first set of progress pics attached.

The picture on the right was just taken in December 2016. I was wearing a size 24 pant and 3XL shirt.

The picture on the right was taken yesterday. I had on size 18 jeans and XL shirt.

That's so exciting, congratulations! This is a great NSV!

I'm only a couple months out from surgery, but this is something I'm looking forward to. I have a trip to Disney planned in October so I'll be 6 months out. I'm hoping my hips won't need to squish between the arm rests!

I agree with everyone else here. There are still options for you to eat especially at a BBQ when you can bring items that you're able to eat. I did this before surgery when I was on diets, I would bring chicken sausages to put on the grill or bring a salad.

Also my NUT said no alcohol for at least one year after surgery. I don't drink often so it's not a huge deal for me.

Hope you find the things that work for you and enjoy your family cookouts!

I had this happen after a few days post op. It didn't happen every time but sometimes when I had my yogurt or Protein Shakes they had this weird rotten egg/sulfur taste. Sometimes it would even just be one or two bites would have that taste. It doesn't happen with everything thankfully. I'm onto the soft food stage so I've been blending the Protein with ice and haven't had yogurt as often and haven't noticed the taste again. Hopefully yours goes back to normal soon!

I started having dizzy spells when I was on liquids post surgery. My nutritionist had said Propel drinks were ok at this stage so I would drink at least a cup when I woke up in the mornings which helped. It's not a pleasant feeling but just make sure you're getting the recommended amounts of Protein and Water.

On 5/6/2017 at 11:31 AM, kellian said:

I am 12 days post-surgery (VSG) and having the same problem. My pain had gone away enough that I no longer needed pain medication until about 3 days ago. I am having similar pain to what others have described - underneath incision, intense pain, can't lie on either side, etc. I feel certain that it is internal stitches acting up. My surgeon has refused to authorize more than 3 weeks off work for me, which would have me going back to work in 9 days. I am an RN at a hospital and have a very physically demanding job, 12 hour shifts. There is no "light duty" in nursing. I'm really worried about returning to work while still having so much pain.
I have my 2 week follow-up appointment next Tuesday. Any suggestions on how to best advocate for myself and make the dr understand why I don't feel like going back to work so soon is a good idea? I advocate for my patients daily, but seem to be having a problem advocating for myself. Of note - I'm not even expected back at work until 5/29, so it's not an issue of my boss denying me the time off or inconveniencing anyone at my job.
This is my first post, so thanks in advance for any responses.

Sorry that you're having so much pain and difficulty getting the doctor to approve sufficient time off. My surgeon has a range of 2-6 weeks off for surgery depending on the patients needs. I'll be out for 4 weeks total which is a relief since I feel like my energy is still really inconsistent.

I realize this is after your 2 week post op appointment by now. I hope that you made out alright. If the doctor didn't approve more time I would maybe suggest reaching out to a nurse who has worked with you pre-op if you have one. I've met with my NP more than the doctor and she's incredibly understanding and helpful (luckily so is my surgeon I just don't see him as much).

I'm surprised they don't want you out of work longer since lifting is a primary restriction after surgery and I know nurses need to lift a lot of the time. Good luck!

I've heard that regret is normal especially immediately after surgery when there are more restrictions. I'll be 3 weeks from surgery tomorrow and I've had a few days that I've felt like this. Today happened to be one of them. I was glad to see your post, I really needed it today. The changes are difficult especially in social/public settings. I did a ton of research before surgery so that I was completely prepared, but that doesn't compare to knowing how I would feel while I'm recovering. I had all the information but emotions can really go out of control after such a major surgery.

I have a co-worker who had bypass a few years ago who keeps reminding me to take it one day at a time. I find it easy to be hard on myself and when I find myself going there I need to stop. Today I stood in the mirror and honestly thought, why not just stay fat? Why did I do this? I had to remind myself that I wanted to cure my milk sleep apnea, improve my chronic ankle pain, get off blood pressure meds, fit comfortably in an airplane seat, play with my niece and nephew, and generally feel better.

I try to think of at least one thing every day that I appreciate about the surgery. I'm going to start writing them down so I can read them when I have a tough day. Today I appreciate that I fit into a shirt that was snug the week before surgery, and it was big on me. I find that I can gauge my progress more based on which clothes I can fit into rather than looking in the mirror.

I hope that you find some method to cope with your feelings of regret when they pop up. If you ever need to chat we're here for you! Best of luck!

I had surgery about 2 1/2 weeks ago and I didn't feel full during the liquids diet but I didn't feel hunger either. It just hurt to be honest. I had a hard time getting enough fluids and Protein the first couple of days, mostly because I was nervous to over do it when I couldn't feel anything in my stomach but pain.

I moved onto soft foods on Thursday and I definitely feel it a lot more than the liquids diet. The full feeling is a lot different then it was before surgery though so that's something I'm getting used to as well. I'm not sure if its just the size or that I'm still sore. I've seen other people mention that they have different signs of fullness. I also read somewhere that some people feel the first sign of fullness in their chest.

There are a lot of changes that have happened so there's a lot to get used to. But like others have said there isn't really a feeling of fullness from liquids. Just make sure you get the recommended amount of Water and protein from your nutritionist.

I had very mild sleep apnea, only 2.5 occurrences more than normal. At the initial appointment my sleep doctor said a CPAP wasn't required but recommended to help decrease surgery complications. My surgery was April 20th. I saw the sleep doctor this week and he said I can return the machine since my case is mild and I had lost 28lbs since my last appointment with him. He scheduled a sleep study in 3 months to review how the weight loss affects my sleep and make sure the apnea has improved.

Every case is different and depends on the severity of your apnea and your progress. Best of luck!

On 5/1/2017 at 0:58 PM, FLBoyMom said:

Finally made it to Islands of Adventure - Harry Potter's World and asked about the wait time on the ride and the worker told me I should try the seat to make sure "I'm comfortable" before waiting over an hour. I was horrified, walked away and cried in the bathroom so my kids would not see me.

I had a really similar experience. When I went on the Harry Potter ride I was in one of the middle seats and the person working there frantically changed me with my thin friend so I was on the end. I assume she thought I was infringing on the stranger's space beside me even though I didn't notice. My friend was actually confused about the switch and when she asked I had to tell her that she was calling me fat. It was especially hard because I had lost a bit of weight at the time so I was feeling pretty good up until then. I had a good cry about it myself. You're not alone!

I'm really sorry that you had that experience.

I had surgery on April 20th. Still trying hard to get my Protein and fluids every day. Otherwise I feel okay, still sore but Tylenol is enough to help.