mrsjcardinale

I was an irritable mess for the first few days after surgery. The pain medication made me super grumpy at everything. Since I was lucky & didn't have much pain, I weaned myself off those meds asap. That helped me. Good luck to you. You are not alone.

It's totally normal to be an emotional mess right after surgery, between the anesthesia and pain meds and just the rapid initial weight loss, which flushes hormones through your system. The first month or so, I would just randomly start crying at absolutely NOTHING, like just mid-sentence when talking about something mundane. It was super awkward and annoying, but it passed.
Edit: I should note that this was the case even WITH being on an anti-depressant.

Hi Molly,

I had my surgery on 4/16 as well. Like you I am hungry. I’ve heard so many saying they had to force liquids down and I agree that it could be “head” hunger but like others have suggested, keep drinking the Protein Drinks, and Bone Broth. We will get through this!

Hi! I had VSG on 4/16. I woke up in recovery for a second and was hot and in pain but immediately fell back asleep. I didn’t wake up again until I was in my private room. I was groggy and it took some time but I suggest to let yourself sleep and recover. By the next day I was much better. Just sore and thirsty. Be prepared for the changes and tell yourself you will get through this. Surgery is the easy part. Good luck!

Anesthesia is wicked and can cause that in some people. I have been emotional not just from anesthesia but because I want to eat but can’t. Like real food! I’ve cried a a few times and have said I regret this but each day it gets easier. Make sure you are sipping all day and getting your Protein in. That’s most important. Staying hydrated. Good luck!

Anesthesia is wicked and can cause that in some people. I have been emotional not just from anesthesia but because I want to eat but can’t. Like real food! I’ve cried a a few times and have said I regret this but each day it gets easier. Make sure you are sipping all day and getting your Protein in. That’s most important. Staying hydrated. Good luck!

Anesthesia is wicked and can cause that in some people. I have been emotional not just from anesthesia but because I want to eat but can’t. Like real food! I’ve cried a a few times and have said I regret this but each day it gets easier. Make sure you are sipping all day and getting your Protein in. That’s most important. Staying hydrated. Good luck!

My husband and I are high school sweethearts and have been together 8.5 years. He has been there from my skinny high school cheerleading days all the way up to the 235 highest weight on my 5 foot frame. He is very skinny at 5'11 and 155 lbs. He eats whatever he wants and has a hard time putting on weight.
He has gone to every single appointment with me over the past 10 months which has been over 35 4 hour round-trips so far and he has taken off for my appointments post op as well. He is also taking a 2 week vacation to care for me during my healing after surgery which I will greatly need dealing with our 11 month 80 lb lab.
Although he tells me all the time that I do not need the surgery and hold my weight well proportioned (he's just being a good husband) he has supported me through the entire process. I think this is because we have had long talks and he knows my goal is to run 5-10 miles again 5 days a week like I did in high school. I loved running and the mental break it gave me from my anxiety.
I am on day 13 of my clear liquid pre-op diet (surgery is in 2 days) and he eats before he comes home and only says he has to make a "stop" so he doesn't rub in my face what he is eating. Therefore, he is done eating before he comes home. He waits until I'm out of the room before eating anything else as well. I have never asked him to do this, he just does out of a sign of support.
He has also rallied all of my loved ones that know (not that many I do not want the whole world to know my business) and they are all doing the same thing. I cannot believe the amount of support I have received from him and my loved ones. It makes this whole journey seem a lot less lonely.

Just had mine today. Only pain I have is from T.J. gas/air they pump in. They just gave me some liquid hydrocodeine. It’s really not that bad.

Hi! I had VSG on 4/16. I woke up in recovery for a second and was hot and in pain but immediately fell back asleep. I didn’t wake up again until I was in my private room. I was groggy and it took some time but I suggest to let yourself sleep and recover. By the next day I was much better. Just sore and thirsty. Be prepared for the changes and tell yourself you will get through this. Surgery is the easy part. Good luck!

Hi! I had VSG on 4/16. I woke up in recovery for a second and was hot and in pain but immediately fell back asleep. I didn’t wake up again until I was in my private room. I was groggy and it took some time but I suggest to let yourself sleep and recover. By the next day I was much better. Just sore and thirsty. Be prepared for the changes and tell yourself you will get through this. Surgery is the easy part. Good luck!

Glad it is only temporary and we will get through this!

Yeah I just had a small spoon of sugar free cool whip - yep. Tasted pretty gross and my belly is not my friend at the moment. I’ll keep the nice illusion of sugar free in my head only to keep me from having any more grocery store meltdowns. Lol

I miss soda - have not had one drop since my vsg last May. A word of caution - sugar free is not always the best selection. I finally bought a Yonanas machine so I can make my own sorbets. I've found that while eating whole foods (beans, lentils, potatoes, etc) fill me up quickly, things like sweets, ice-cream, chips, etc seem to go down way too easy. I have to really be conscious not to eat these

Sent from my VS501 using BariatricPal mobile app

We’ll get through this. It is temporary. So we just have to be strong and don’t give up or give in!

I feel this way now and I’m 6 days post-op. I’m teary eyed reading it because I feel this way now. I hope to and will get there soon.

First of all, you deserve major credit for sharing the difficulty you’ve been having in so much detail. Telling on yourself can be the first and hardest step.
I would recommend telling on yourself to your surgeon or nurse, your father, and any other supports you have as well. They will want to help you.
Remind your dad that he is enabling you to self destruct. If it helps to consider your eating habits an addiction, bringing you food that is unhealthy for you is akin to giving money to a person who is addicted to drugs. It makes you feel better in the short term, but not for long.
I agree with others that volunteer work is a great way to help a person find meaning and feel more whole. Dog walking is a great option. Shelter dogs need love and need exercise, just like we do. Exercise + puppy snuggles = major endorphins!
I agree with others to set a schedule to eat. Every two hours or every four hours, whatever works for you and your program. I eat about every four hours and take 30 minutes to eat whatever I’m having. Sometimes, I set a meditation timer that plays a sound every 30-60 seconds to help me take it slow. If I want something else to eat when I’m done, it’s usually just because I want it, or I know it will taste good, not because I am hungry. I can always tell myself, “You can have that in four hours if you want” or three hours or however long it is until I can eat again. I’m telling myself not right now, not no.
I definitely agree that a therapist is a great idea. I see one. I don’t feel that I have any major depression going on or emotional disruptions, but I just went through a major life change (post op 3 weeks today). I like having someone to bounce things off of, talk to about surgery or anything I want. I started seeing her when I started getting serious about getting the sleeve. Sometimes we just chat and laugh. My therapist is a great support. And if I feel like I do go into a depression or emotional disturbance, she will be there for me.

You. Can. Do. This. You are only seven weeks in you haven’t ruined everything. Our surgical teams expect us to have challenges and are prepared to help us. Please be kind to yourself and try not to be ashamed. Be proud that you took the step to better your health with weight loss surgery. Be proud that you are able to ask for help when you need it. You can make this work.
Tomorrow is a new day. And the day after that will be too.
One of my favorite books is “12 Steps on Buddha’s Path” or something very similar to that. I don’t practice the 12 steps but the concepts in the book were very helpful to me. Basically any self help on Buddhism really led me to a calming place.
I’m early into this and I’m sure I will hit challenges that I’ll need more help with. And I hope I’ll be brave enough ask for help here and with my team, like you are doing. Focus on the end goal, but take it little by little. Try to make better choices every day! [emoji177]

You got this. You really do. The power is within you.

Start over right now. Forget about what you did yesterday.

Everytime you start to have negative self talk, stop yourself and think about something that you love about yourself. If you can't find anything that you love about yourself, find something to be grateful for. Shifting your inner voices to something positive is huge!!!

Start journaling instead of eating and ask yourself the deeper questions that need to be asked. I have found that this journey for me is incredibly introspective. I am learning so much about myself. This is a necessary step.

When you make a bad choice, instead of beating yourself up, trying loving yourself and just being curious. Curiosity not judgement.

LOVE yourself! You are loveable!!!

Please keep us informed. You gave support here.

A big hug to you!! Kim

I wish you the best. I was you but before the surgery. I started seeing a “life coach” it’s so much different than a therapist and she helped me more in 6 months than 20 yrs of dieting and therapist etc. i am 6 wks post op and have adopted better habits but it was hard and still is. You can do this / there will be bad days and good days don’t beat yourself up about the bad ones and learn from the good ones. [emoji177]

I agree that seeing a therapist would be a good step for you. It sounds like your eating out of boredom or habit instead of actually hunger and that's where the issue lies. A therapist can help you approach your relationship with food in a healthy light.
I eat frequently throughout the day (every 2-3 hours) because that's what works best for me but I think if I ate every hour I would just feel sick. So when you get the urge to eat, ask yourself why you want to eat. Are you bored, are your craving something, just because? Then find another outlet. Go for a walk, join a gym, take up a hobby, drink a glass of Water.
Also make healthier choices when you do chose to eat, go for items high in Protein and low in carbs. Things like a hard boiled egg can satisfy the hunger and it's better for your than a cheese sandwich.
You can turn this around but you have to want to do it. No excuses.

Take the first steps TODAY!!!!
load up your favorite music into your phone, put on your sneakers and get outside! Walk to the car, walk past the car, walk to a neighbors house, walk past a neighbors house and find the next goal...
This surgery isn’t a miracle but rather a tool, set small goals daily and achieve them once you start knocking them out, one day turns to 7 and 7 turns into 30 and 30 turns into 6 months and 6 months turns into a year!

The only one that can stop your actions is yourself, I think about eating crap daily but I choose not to give in fill your stomach with energy not comfort and remove yourself from the temptation. When your hungry do not watch TV the god damn food commercials only make it worse, drink your fluids, put on a movie go wash the car, go clean around the house do something productive just DONT GIVE IN!

I hope you find the help that you need in something new other than food, find a hobby/passion you can focus on and it will make you a better person. This is a daily battle don’t think of it as anything else set your goals and let’s do this as failure cannot be an option, you know what that feels like and it SUCKS so don’t be afraid of succeeding what do you have to lose if you try?

Darling if any of us had the discipline we would be in need of surgery, so calm down, nothing is wrong with you. Every person struggles differently with this change of lifestyle. And if there were quickfixes we wouldn’t be here.
Some tips that helped me
1) the surgery will not save you, it’s the tool that will help you save you. So remind yourself everyday of what you want out of this. Everyday, like every day .. eating time was a good reminder time for me ( i used to look at food and literally say, you will be here tomorrow and eat what I could and what was good for me, salads still don’t count as meals but I eat them hehe)
2) define the voices. There’s brain hunger and stomach hunger, brain hunger has no end. With every craving, bring ur attention to ur stomach and see how it feels. I still do this till today and it’s 5 years .. it really helps
3) try eating every 3- 4 hours ...eat what you want but in the quantity ur stomach can, shouldn’t be more than a few bites. Give the rest away to someone in need until u figure out how much to order or cook or eat leftovers over time
4) drink clear fluids 30 minutes afternoon your meal, and onwards. But don’t mix drinking with eating. Big no no
5) remind urself that you are losing weight and enjoy it. Enjoy every ounce u let go of.
6) as much as u need to be attentive to your food intake and take responsibility for yourself; u very much need family support, they need to get on board and understand that they have a role too. Support is key
7) eliminate negative self talk.

You should see the dietitian for diet advice, and a therapist to help understand the reasons for your lack of compliance with a healthy post surgical diet.
Surgery doesn't work without the lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes can be sabotaged by emotional issues.
You need to address your diet in a meaningful way. Your choices are setting you up for problems.

I had my surgery on the 17th and got home around 6 pm the next day. I'm annoyed that I'm still feeling hunger pains, shouldn't they be gone? Trying hard to get fluids in, my dietician/team has people on 4 day Clear Liquids post up (after I just did 14 full liquids pre-op) they do not allow milk things until 5 days post up and my dietician just called and told me I can half a Protein Shake tomorrow and back to full liquids Monday. My pain sucks, everyone has had this said the pain isn't bad by day 2, not in my case! I'm totally not a wimp when it comes to pain. I'm walking and doing what I need to do its hard to get some fluids down, although that's been better since day 3. Still no poop.

Today is my first day home after having the gastric sleeve on Monday. I’ve only been able to drink 24 oz of Water and half a Protein Shake. I really hope I am able to drink more each day. I can only use Protein powders this week too, and they taste horrible now. I can’t wait to be able to have the pre-made ones that don’t have such an after taste.


Age: 37
Height: 5’6
BMI: 37
VSG scheduled for 4/16/18
GW: 160
MFP: Fit4LifeAR