Anacat

On 05/15/2019 at 14:12, Tallymom said:

We are surgery twins and I am stalled too. Very frustrating. I am on 800 calories and doing everything right too. I’m just trying to focus on the long-term because I know my tool will work in the long run. Hang in there and PM me anytime.

Thanks my surgery twin! Hanging in there, no other choice right? And for sure it will work 🤗

Soo very frustrated! I’m stuck for almost 2 weeks at the same weight, after losing 22 pounds since my surgery on April 3rd. What am I doing wrong??? Ok, maybe the Water intake is a bit low but still... I eat lots of Protein, take all my Vitamins, eat around 700 calories per day and zero losing 😡 I feel very low energy, and exercising is very difficult, I can barely get through the day at work, and it’s more of an office job. Any hints?

On 05/09/2019 at 15:30, Marybel said:

Anacat we are surgery sisters!

I had the bypass and I must say I am doing well on energy but I have to remember to get my Vitamins in and all the other meds I was prescribed because I came into this with absolutely no med problems and never having to take any meds to having to take like 6 which is a bit overwhelming.

I’m still having trouble getting down any food that I have to chew so I am stuck in purées which is fine for me because I honestly still don’t have the urge to eat. I have to remember to do that too.

HW 272

SW 256

CW 230

Hi sis 🤗
Well, I get hungry given the small quantities I eat, and dream naughty dreams about burgers or pasta... but then when I have to eat I mostly stick with specially designed bariatric meals or purees as well. The doctor said to give a try every 2 days to smith solid, so I keep throwing it up. Supposedly at some point I will stop. Hope my energy returns, I’ve been skipping office as much as I could and I want to start exercising properly. How about you - been to the gym yet?

Ah, and the cravings for junk food, they are there, good that my pouch won’t have them.

Since my surgery on April 3rd I lost 22 lbs, SW 242, so less than 10%. I am a bit discouraged as I here much better results... I am eating my Protein and Vitamins but it’s very hard with the Water, I simply forget to drink regularly. I started on solids some days ago and a lot just come back, especially the meat. I try to mix it with purees but still...I also feel low on energy and can hardly do my exercises. After exercising I feel just even more low, no endorphins rush for me. Frustrated and depressed, that sums it up for me

On 04/30/2019 at 06:30, CajunSam said:

Has anyone hit the dreaded 3 week stall yet? I have. It’s a HUGE bummer and discouraging but I am trying to remember it’s totally normal. I’ve been stalled for 7 days now and I am 3.5 weeks out.

Lost 14 lbs from SW in 2 weeks, then stall for 1 week, then lost another 4, now again at 1 month stall for 6 days... What was even more discouraging was seeing the nutritionist at the 1 month post op and she saying I had lost too few, like 18% of extra weight instead of over 20% 😢
Also now cleared for soft food, but my stomach wants none! So I vomit after almost every meal. Did this happened to any of you?

I still have 1 week till I’m allowed to go to the gym, but I plan to start with aquagym. No sweaty feeling, plus it trains all your muscles. I will see how it goes and then try to move to harder proper gym sessions

On 04/06/2019 at 04:59, Ohiogirl14 said:

I was april 3rd it was awful 1st day. How r u doing

I was April 3rd as well. Had pain, nausea, but they managed it immediately with meds, very successfully. Was up and about since day 2. 1 week of liquids, 2 weeks of cream Soups, now my first day on puréed. Lost 17 pounds in first 10 days, been stalling since. I take all Vitamins and Protein, Water and walking are harder to manage. Energy is soooo low I hope it will improve with the purees. I have been very emotional and frustrated, I cried and argued with my father, my sis is busy with her kids, so I’m practically alone. Some support from friends would have been nice, like, hey, let’s go for a walk, but they are all busy with their lives...I know I am a crybaby now, but it will pass soon I hope

I keep seeing descriptions of surgery protocols that are very different. I am sure that mine for example is completely different than what is done in US. Maybe it would be interesting for those that are pre op to know the details so here it goes:

Romanian protocols:

1. Initial meeting with surgeon that consults you and says if you might qualify for WLS;
2. 1 day full of blood tests, abdominal echograph, abdominal endoscopy, barium abdominal rays, body composition, cardiology (EKG and blood pressure, BP under physical effort , pulmonary tests (spirometry, rays), nutrition and psychological consult;
3. Surgeon consult when he determines if and what type of WLS is recommended ( for me gastric sleeve), describes surgery and course of treatment, schedules surgery date ( plus finding out if other interventions are required - they discovered that I have a big hiatal hernia that needed fixing)
4. Surgery protocols- standard is 4 nights , sometimes 5 of hospitalization.
- hospital admission 1 day before, in the evening, for preparation: heparin shots, IV fluids
- Surgery day and 24 hours post op in ICU (again, per protocol, even if you are ok) - that was horrible, with drain tube from surgery, nasogastric tube, bad pan or catheter for peeing, BP monitors every 30 min, so slim chances of sleeping- I felt no pain at all, just nausea from the nasogastric tube
- next day in the morning transfer to normal reserve, got read of nasogastric tube and urethral catheter; I could walk just fine, minimal general pain ( like a muscle soreness after exercising), incisions painful if pressed - they offered more pain meds but I refused)
- next 2 days just IV fluids, with antibiotics, dexamethasone for inflammation, pain meds, nutrients
- day 5 discharged from hospital with following medication: heparin shots 1month, anti-acids for 1 month, ibuprofen Syrup or kids for managing pain for 3 days, Debridat for transit and gas, bariatric Vitamins and Protein Shakes for forever, hepatic protector for 3 months
They make sure you make 8.000-10.000 steps per day and that you tolerate well the necessary fluids intake.

Diet: clear fluids 1 day pre op and 1 week post op, then cream Soups for 2 weeks, then mushy purees for 1 week, then soft food and solid food as tolerated.

Prices: 1.000 usd for pre op analyses, 6.000 usd for surgeries ( I had 2-in 1, GS and hiatal hernia repair, and including 1 week, 1, 2, 3 , 6 months and 1 year controls, nutrition and psychological included), 400 usd medication for 3 months, including vitamins and Protein shakes

Time from diagnosis to surgery 2 weeks.

I’m from Romania, Bucharest city :) and my surgery was done by dr. Bogdan Smeu. Slim chances on finding a surgery buddy here!

Hi there, I was told to continue the shots 1 month after surgery.
Today I went for a massage and the lady said that it’s not allowed while on blood thinners.
Anybody else was told the same?
I am a very healthy 40 yrs old, besides my weight.Thanks and good luck to all of you!

I reached apparently my 1st plateau. Lost 14 pounds 1st week, regained 4 and cannot shake them down. I eat around 700 kcal:
35% Protein, 35% fat and the rest mostly null carbs from veggies.
I still have to wait 2 weeks for starting exercising.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Sleeved April 3rd. Height 5.5, SW 242.5, CW 229, GW 140
For those who are post op, how was it for you? How are you feeling? How much have you lost?
I feel fine, just a bit dizzy in the morning, take my Vitamins, Water, Protein Shake and heparin.
A bit disappointed because I feel like I have not lost much, but then hey, it’s a journey and this just the beginning!

Thanks you all!
Yes Healthy_life2, tricking the cravings with healthy choices is the the best. I already found some solutions. As I craved the meat taste I did the following (might sounds gross but it worked): I mixed some liver patee with boiled egg and thinned it with milk, and I had some creamy light cheese, eat just 3 spoons of the combination and I was happy :) Craving tricked :)

Likewise, 1 month post op. ; I asked if I can move faster but they were pretty adamant that the stomach has to heal and to keep the schedule.

I plan to try in the purée week a mix of potato purée with grounded meat, see what happens. That would be Easter meal, for me being Orthodox the Easter is in 2 weeks, so it fits 😋

Wow, you lost so much! Congrats! Truly inspiring, hope to follow your example!

Hi, in my country they do not ban the smoking... I smoke electronic cigarettes and did so before and after the surgery with no ill effects. Off course I would like to quit, but I feel I can not make 2 major changes in my life at once... Kudos to all of you that quitted!!!

On 4/10/2019 at 5:36 PM, Colorado Cowgirl said:

I have also suffered from depression and anxiety most of my life and have taken meds to balance me out. It is not something I have ever been able to manage alone. Wish I could. For me it's physiological. I just had surgery on the 1st and am coming along slowly but am feeling better every day. After my pysch assessment I have continued to see the therapist since he deals with wls patients. We are working on my relationship with food, a lifetime battle. I want this to be the final chapter in obesity for me.

I was in the same situation, coping with meds in order to keep my anxiety within normal levels. Now 14 days post op I can say that I felt no different after the surgery. I am just impatient to get to the weight that I feel woul be acceptable to start going out , smth like 190 pounds, while I’m at 230... now I’m like a hermit, hiding at home and just going to work, waiting to get there.. I know it’s all in my head and not healthy thinking but that’s how I feel despite all my therapy sessions 😟

On 3/24/2019 at 7:17 PM, Alwzla8 said:

Oh thank god I am not the only one:) I just made brownies ha ha. Last night I had filet mignon with baked potato and French onion Soup ha ha. Trying to think of what to have tonight as my farewell, I'll miss you food meal:) On the plus side I did make Jello ha ha ha!!

Hahaha, In the last days before the liquid diet I went for McDonalds, KFC, Chinese, ice cream, Cookies, every bloody junk foods that I would miss 😂

Now, after 2 weeks of Clear Liquids, 1 pre and 1 post op, I am in the cream Soups weeks and it’s the hardest thing I’ve done... dreading the Easter feast with my family that I will have to attend 😱😱😱

Wow, it seems so hard for you to deal with all this bureaucracy!

Unfortunately, in my country (Romania) there is no cover from the insurance for Bariatric surgeries... even if you have additional health problems. So I made a credit for 3 years and payed myself for everything. Also, the process to reach the surgery is very simple, there’s a 1 st appointment with the surgeon to decide is you qualify for such surgery, then 1 week of investigations and if all goes well and you keep a week of diet on liquids you can be scheduled for surgery 2-3 weeks after your first appointment. I have to mention that this does not apply with the national health care system but with the private one. Anyway, in a Romania the state system and the state hospitals are so horrible that I would not trust them even for the most basic treatments.

Hang in there and good luck!🍀🍀🍀

When I reach 110 kg and I could not shed it whith dieting I’ve decided that I I need all the help I can get. I started looking In bariatric surgeries and I fed all I could find for two weeks. Then I decided to have the bariatric surgery so I went to the doctor and he told me that I qualify for a gastric sleeve. Next week I had all the investigations done and was scheduled for surgery very quickly, after just another week. I had the surgery on 3rd of April and I stayed in the hospital for three days.

The first day in ATI was pure hell not because I felt any pain but because I was very very nauseous from the naso-gastric tube they inserted. The second day I was moved in a normal room and got rid of all the tubes except the perfusions. I started walking and I felt just normal, no pain except for when I drank too quickly.

Now I am home, 11 days post op, and finished the first week of liquid diet. I’m now in the cream Soup phase for another two weeks. Then for another week I have to eat all the food in purée form.

My main challenge is that I crave other foods, like yesterday I felt I would kill for a bite of burger. It’s true, the hunger sensation disappeared, but the cravings did not. At some point I felt so so frustrated that I could almost cry. I know for sure that if I do not respect this post op diet and I eat something wrong, too solid, it just comes up and I regurgitate it... I also find it hard to drink all the necessary Water but I keep a bottle with me and try to do it. I take all the Bariatric Vitamins and minerals prescribed, take Protein supplements and do my heparin shots.

I lost 13 pounds in the first week and I hope that I will keep the trend even if it’s slower in the future.

My question to you is how quickly you started to eat solid foods after the surgery? How did it feel? Do you also have cravings? How do you deal with them?

Thanks and good luck to you all!