NewYorkStateofMind

Just got home from my second stay at the hospital. My initial recovery was going great. Had my VSG on August 10th and had only spent one night in the hospital. Was strictly following my post-op meal plan and even had lost just about twenty pounds. All was fine till one night I felt a sharp pain in the lower right part of my stomach. That pain eventually moved to the center of my stomach. Around midnight I finally called my surgeon's emergency number when I began to feel left shoulder pain. It started as short, subtle jabs and progressively became more and more painful. Eventually becoming the worst pain I've ever felt...like a sword being thrust between my bone and muscle. Promptly got myself to the hospital. My fear was I had a staple leak. My blood pressure had skyrocketed (I lost 54 lbs pre-op, and had it down to close to a healthy 120/80). Following the most painful ER experience that I've ever had (though the staff was great) found myself with an unexpected result: subcapsular hematoma of liver or in layman's terms internal bleeding/clotting. They quickly got me on pain medicine, fluids, and a bunch of blood-related medicines I was too pained to remember. Thankfully after four or five days, they were able to resolve the issue without surgery. They sent me home, though now it will be several weeks before I can return to work. My doctor thinks that when my liver was moved during surgery, the clamping device caused bruising which developed into an open wound thanks to my body's reaction to the blood thinners. This was a tad ironic as I started the pre-surgery liquid diet early and it seemed like the doctor was happy with the size right afterward. Has anybody else had this complication? It should be noted that my doctor said this was extremely rare, so much so I'm the second ever patient of his to have this issue happen. Please don't let this discourage you from your surgery. Still very glad I made the decision I did, though I'm eager to get back to work and my original recovery.

Hey friends - In less than twelve hours, I undergo my gastric sleeve procedure. This forum has been more helpful than words can explain. Please feel free to read and share my story if you need some motivation: https://medium.com/@MJTessler/the-fat-kid-e9b69cd17e41

Hey everyone! So I'm just about five days away from my surgery. My Liquid diet has been tough, but I've kicked its ass so far. Since I started my weight loss journey I've lost 52 lbs! My original goal was to lose 30 lbs prior to the procedure. Inching very close to being below 300 lbs before the surgery. I'm a man, 5'10, and twenty-five years old. Beginning to feel very nervous about the reality of the surgery. How did you/are you coping with these nerves? Also, does anyone have any clue what ballpark somebody weighing about 300 lbs should expect to lose in the first few months? Know everybody is different and results will vary pretty greatly but think hearing those numbers might ease my nerves a bit. Thank you all for sharing your stories, you've been a lifesaver through this process.

Hi there! My sleeve surgery is on 8/8/18 (lucky numbers, I know) I'm twenty-five years old, 5'10, and had a starting weight of 356 lbs. Have always been overweight or obese but never this heavy. My big lifestyle change occurred at the end of April and since then I've lost 44 lbs with a final pre-surgery goal of 50 lbs (originally 30 lbs). Hasn't been easy but knowing that the surgery is down the road has certainly kept me on track and accountable! Being so young, I understand my experience will likely be different than many others on here. My two-week liquid diet started a few days ago and has pretty thoroughly kicked my butt. I've got these incredible Bruce Banner/Hulk mood swings where even the mentioning of pizza is enough for me to rip someone's face off. It is difficult, but I'm getting through it. For my fellow men out there, what big changes should I expect? Know I'll have excess skin but will gaining muscle post-op help manage that at all? What changes should I expect chemically? Any tips on how to approach one's love life after such a big transformation? Know I've got a great bunch of female friends who I'm sort of a "non-threatening" best friend for, did any of you find that those friendship dynamics change at all? Thanks so much! Also happy to answer any questions about my pre-op weight loss!

We're cheering you on too! Thanks for all the support! You got this too!

Thank you for saying so. It is bizarre, throughout the process of losing the 41 lbs pre-op...the only time I'd ever crave the really "bad' stuff would be when someone was eating it near me. Other than that I was becoming so content with healthy foods and smaller portions. For whatever reasons the liquid diet (maybe because of all the artificial sweetener) has given me the worst cravings for the worst things. Either way, onward!

August 8th here! Was doing great on the two-week liquid diet minus the mood swings, hunger cravings, and willingness to murder someone in exchange for tacos, ya know...typrical human behavior. Yesterday the cravings got the best of me and I made the rookie move of attempting to have one small solid meal, which turned into one large solid meal...which then turned into an actual slip-up. It was disheartening and embarrassing, especially since I've lost 41 lbs pre-op with really only one or two minor falterings. Today it's almost dinner and I'm back on track. Just joined this site today hoping I can find some strength and understanding from others who know what I'm feeling. Congrats to everyone on their progress so far! We're almost there.

Premier Protein has been a lifesaver. Their vanilla is great. Heard their other selections are tasty except the caramel made me gag if I drank it more than once per day.