TeeJay84

I am almost 3 months post op and have only lost 23 pounds, of course I regret having the surgery.

I tried mini crab cakes last week (100% crab meat) the day I hit 7 weeks post op. It went very well. I could eat 3 oz of it. 😋

Every morning, naked and after using the bathroom. I feel it helps me stay on track.

Got my sleeve three years ago. Still carrying extra weight, but its in very flattering places, and I feel sexy in clothes.
Out of clothes, my body is a damn mess. I have to wear a body shaper to contain the sagging skin, and no amount of toning/compression garments/non-surgical intervention can fix the amount of skin hanging from my arms, stomach, thighs, and I'm even getting a turkey neck. My facial skin is a little loose. It's rough.

That being said, it was still the best decision I ever made. It's gonna suck saving up for plastics while I shed these last 30 lbs. Post-weight loss skin/body issues are the luxury tax we paid for treating our bodies like trash for so many years. I have collarbones. I can ride rollercoasters. I no longer look at tiny cafe chairs, bathroom stalls and airlines seats going OH GOD WILL I FIT. Like suddenly, you *fit* into the world.

It is hard to give people the benefit of the doubt when they are prying into your personal business.
My husband and I married young and chose to wait 10 years b4 having children. People said lots of stupid things to me over the years prying about fertility issues and my desire to have children.
Examples:
I couldn't want kids that bad since I didn't have them right away. And since I didnt want them I was going to be a bad mother.
I was getting too old and needed to have kids soon. This was said to me at 27. (had 1st at 32 and 2nd at 35, not exactly ancient)
Then the million questions about who had failing parts, was it my uterus or my husband's balls?
This got old enough that I would pretend to get emotional and tell people it was probably never going to happen for me. This definately worked, succeeded in making them think twice about asking me or anyone else.
I pick and choose who I tell about my surgery. Thankfully some of my more intrusive relatives live far away. The real bonus is none of them saw me at my high weight, so crossing my fingers that my look won't be a shock to them.
Oh, and I love my kids. Waiting to have them allowed us additional financial security and life experiences.

So I go into surgery yesterday morning to only be woken up with the surgeon stating they had to stop because of my blood pressure plummeting and having an abnormal EKG.
The anesthesiologist saw that my blood pressure was not rising properly with adjustment meds while they were cutting on me and a EKG that wasn’t looking right.
They had everything prepared to start the procedure with the robot when the anesthesiologist told the surgeon to stop. Afterwards they did a cardiac enzyme count and it was normal they did another EKG and it was normal. I have to go to a cardiologist to be cleared before they will do the procedure.
So now I sit here with seven holes in me and an abdomen full of gas and Fluid as I gained 7 pounds from yesterday morning before the procedure to when I returned home around lunchtime with nothing to gain for it.
The surgeon and the anesthesiologist think it may have something to do with the fact that I take lisinopril and they were not prepared for that. So now I have paid $17,000 cash to be cut on and nothing to show for it.
By the way my liver looked marvelous according to the surgeon.
He did ask me afterwards if I had a stress test before. I said no. He reacted surprised.....
I know God has a plan. I just wish I knew what the plan was??

I recently had a pretty long, brutal stall. I could not get under 90kg/200lbs. I was so angry and ready to murder everyone around me. I completely sympathise. My stall did pass. The important thing is that you don't give up and start breaking rules in the meantime out of frustration. It is so difficult to stay motivated when you're not seeing results on the scale. Even though you know the stall will eventually end, it doesn't feel like it when you're in the middle of one.
Focus on your success to date (look at your before photos), congratulate yourself on how far you have already come, you may want to read or watch something weight loss related that will inspire you, read the forums, write a list of reasons for wanting to improve your health or do whatever will keep you motivated! Sometimes, breaking a stall is just about hanging on till it passes.

Same as above. I had bad leg cramps and went to the ER. They did an ultrasound which was clear. The cramps were from dehydration. They gave me fluids with electrolytes and things improved. But I would always rather be safe than sorry where blood clots are concerned, so I don’t regret the ER trip.

I also have had a couple since surgery. I was told by a family member who had the same issue after surgery that her surgeon had calf cramps included in his post surgical Q and A paperwork. It just stated to make sure to take your Vitamins as directed as a deficiency of some can cause cramps.
As a general rule blood clots will hurt whether standing, sitting, kneeling or laying down. There is normally also swelling.
Everyone is different though. I know when I got my cramps in calf I upped my Powerade to get more potassium and that seemed to do the trick.

I haven't seen a dietician since my first required visit. I don't like hovering professionals who use one-size-fits-all menus. Not only am I a scratch cook, but the cuisine in my household uses ingredients unfamiliar to my dietitian. If I have a question about Vitamins that might be something worth a visit, but I've read extensively and asked questions of others about my vitamins and other supplements, so I feel prepared. Honestly, she hasn't answered a single question easily available elsewhere and for free.
My doctor told me yesterday during my 6weeks post-op visit that I'm doing great (38lbs lost). I haven't started an exercise program yet because of cramps, but that's the area I'd seek more help with. In other words, if I had to decide where to put my money, I'd invest it in a personal trainer and not in a dietitian.
As for you being worth it, you are ALWAYS WORTH IT!

Yup. I went to the ER when I noticed the lump under my largest incision. Imaging found nothing to worry about. My surgeon told me it’s just normal tissue inflammation that will go away with time. I’ll be 7 weeks out Wednesday and the lump is gone.

I haven't found any that taste good. Some are just less horrible.

Twice a week- first thing in the morning and naked haha every ounce counts 😂

So I just finished my first post op Breakfast. 1 oz Cream of wheat, which i didn’t finish and 1 oz SF pudding. Yummy, i adore the teeny spoons they gave me to eat with.
I’m really sore in the abdomen and it’s hurts a lot to stand but overall it’s good. Hope to be released to go home this afternoon.

Griffon,
I am right there with you. I had my Gastric Sleeve 6/22/18 and I lost 15 lbs on the pre-op diet and then was 300 lbs day of surgery. I came home and I had gained to 309 from fluids because I was so sick from anesthesia and morphine. At my 2 weeks post op I weighed 285 (down 24 lbs.) I have been at 285 for 2 weeks. Yesterday I seen my surgeon for my 1 month appointment and he was very happy. He stated it is very normal for your body to stall like everyone is saying after a large amount of weight is lost right after surgery. Your body will stall and then acclimate and then begin to lose. I have not had any junk food or carbs, I am stickily eating Protein or Protein Shake with my Miralax and walking. He said I should start to see about 10-15 lbs a month after the initial weight loss. Believe it or not this morning I was 283. Best of luck and try not to get frustrated.

As I understand it, everything you’ve listed are known “sliders,” meaning they go down easily with little to no restriction. solid food will definitely be different. I can easily down Greek yogurt but 2 oz of thinly shredded chicken salad in lite mayo fills me up!

All very normal. The cramps were so bad for me the first week home that it woke me up at night. Everyone’s given great advice. Just follow it. You’ll feel better soon. :)

Hi all. Had my one week check up today. Down ten pounds, hydrated, doing well pain wise and tolerating liquids plus ice pops cottage cheese and was advised I can now try egg whites and veges. Feels like a victory. One week ago I was on these boards crying and ready to back out of the surgery-terrified. So glad I listened to so many of you and stuck with it. My life is changing for the better already. I wish the same for all of you.

I figured it would be nice to have a section where we could just confess to some of the potentially dumb things we've done, pre or post op. Just so others can see we are all human. I want this to be kept as civil as possible, where people can own up to things without anyone else chiming in with anything negative, we all know what we did wasn't "right" but I'm sure we ALL have done something we shouldn't have.

I'll start.

I cheated on my pre-op diet a few times. I also like to find loop holes and exploit the crap out of them. I drank beer for a week+ on my pre-op, because it didn't say I couldn't. I only stopped after I was forced to, because my wife asked my surgeon and of course they said "no"... boo. I also ate a whole slice of French meat Pie at my Dad's 60th birthday luncheon.

I cheated on my post-op diet/puree stage a bit too. I ate rice cakes and Protein chips or other veggie chips. Not a lot, but it happened. I "pureed" a steak and cheese sandwich once. I ate a few fried ravioli on my puree stage as well.

This past weekend, I had a beer. My wife and I took my parents out to dinner at a local casino, it's Restaurant week, so we found a good looking location and went out to eat, part of the deal was that you got a draft beer with your meal. So, I had a shipyard summer ale with my grilled chicken parm sandwich (only ended up eating 3 bites of the chicken and none of the bread).

I did all that thus far and nothing bad happened.
I understand the changes are to ensure we stick to our diets, but understanding that we are all human and WILL either slip up or just stray from our diets on purpose like I did. It's good to see that, it's possible to still live and be able to enjoy a few things we "shouldn't" without any negatives happening.

So, what's your WLS confession?

I don't know how many are "many" (there is something called "adverse selection" that is common in online forums, where negatives outnumber positives because everyone with a complaint will post about it, but those with nothing to complain about are largely silent, so things tend to seem worse than they are,) but it does happen for a few reasons.
The sleeve is predisposed do reflux problems due to its geometry and physiology. The volume of the stomach is reduced much more than the acid producing potential, so it takes a while for the body to adapt, and sometimes it doesn't. Also, the sleeve is considered to be a "high pressure" system in that the stomach is often closed off by the pyloric valve at the bottom, so excess gas, fluids or solids have no place to go other than back up; the bypass is a "low pressure" system as there is no pyloric valve in the system, so excess gas can vent down into the intestines. In contrast, the RNY due to its geometry and physiology is predisposed to dumping, marginal ulcers, reactive hypoglycemia and bile reflux. With either procedure, this does not mean that everyone will experience these problems, just that this is the natural result of the anatomical changes that have been made.
Another compounding factor with the sleeve is the relative experience level of the profession - in the US, the sleeve has been routinely approved by insurance for about the past 6-8 years, while the bypass has been routine for around 40 years. This means that there has been some revisions needed due to inexperience in some of those early sleeves - the surgeons may have been well experienced doing bypasses and bands, but a new procedure, even a straightforward one such as the sleeve, brings along its own subtleties and nuances that take practice to master. Resultant shaping issues can promote or exacerbate the reflux problem. In the US, most bariatric surgeons are now far enough up the learning curve that most are now making routinely making functionally competent sleeves (one should always seek out a surgeon who has several hundred of whatever procedure one is interested in under his belt.) However, now the problem is, as it has been since early on, is that many are not very experienced in correcting any problems that may crop up with a sleeve, so the natural inclination is to stick within their comfort zone and revise to a bypass when a problem occurs, rather than correct the sleeve. So yes, the OP is correct in some respects that there are some unnecessary revisions being done, though not necessarily just for the sake of charging for two procedures. As time marches on and the industry gets more experience with sleeves, I would expect that the revision rate will decline as both the sleeves will be made better overall, and the surgeons learn how to repair them when necessary rather than revise them, much as the bypass has matured over time and some of its predisposed problems are less common as they have learned how to mitigate them to the extent they can (bile reflux isn't too common anymore as they have worked out techniques to minimize its occurrence, for instance.)
Another factor that may skew the impressions some is that the bypass is a difficult procedure to revise - it is something of a dead end surgically speaking. If poor weight loss performance or regain is experienced, there is little point in reversing it and revising it to a sleeve as they are both so similar in performance that there isn't much to be gained. There are minor tweaks that are offered - tightening of the stoma or intalling a band over the bypass - but overall results are generally pretty poor. Revising it to a DS, which can offer improved weight loss and regain resistance, as well as diabetes remission, is a very complex procedure that only a handful of surgeons are capable of performing. So, we don't see a lot of bypasses revised for that reason, though sometimes they are reversed if there are significant complications that can't otherwise be resolved, though that isn't a trivial option, either.

My gallbladder went to hell a year before my sleeve. I desperately wanted to save my gallbladder because I kept reading horror stories about people who had it removed. But I was having constant, super painful attacks that would wake me up at night and keep me up for hours. I ended up in the ER once when a stone got stuck in the bile duct. Sludge kept my gallbladder inflamed even when the stones were getting stuck.

Apple cider vinegar helped to end the attacks a little sooner but they did nothing to prevent them. Changing my diet helped but even when I ate on plan, I would still have surprise attacks.

All the online “flushes” are mythical.

I ended up having my gallbladder removed the same time I was sleeved. My surgeon said it’s a good thing I did. I had several large stones and the organ itself was enlarged and inflamed. Could have ruptured if I let it go on much longer.

Trust me. Removal was the last thing I wanted. But think about it. I’m so happy to have those attacks in the past!

People who drink three Irish Coffees less than two months post op really shouldn't throw stones.

I wouldn’t stock up on Vitamins pre-op. I took the Celebrate Complete pre-op and found that my stomach couldn’t handle them AT ALL after surgery. They made me violently ill. I had to switch to a Vitamin d3 softgel, Flintstones Complete and the monthly B12 shot.

Not everyone will become intolerant of their vitamins after, but be mindful just in case. ;)

Hi Kev! This is my first post. I usually browse but I wanted to share as getting my fluids was the hardest part for me. I had two ER visits and one clinic visit for IV fluids because it was such a struggle. This was really my fault. I was sipping too slowly when I could handle more than I thought I could. One day I just decided I was going to really push myself and go for it. I was surprised at what I could handle. Now I can finish a 16.9oz bottle of Water in less than 15 minutes.

I’m 3 weeks out. Sleeved on June 13.

Feel things out first, but see if you can push yourself a little more. Good luck!

I saw my surgical team yesterday and was told I'm progressing nicely, though I had to get IV fluids because I was showing some signs of dehydration and come back next week to ensure I'm not dehydrated still. They also said I no longer need to sip since I'm not having any pain, but I just need to pay attention to what my sleeve tells me in terms of STOP. I should be able to get more fluids this was now that I don't need to wait the dreaded 15 minutes per ounce. Should be interesting to see how today goes.