Arabesque

Starting to have doubts about having surgery is not uncommon. I had mine when I was almost 54 so a bit younger than you - lol!! My weight was ok (bounced 60 - 75kg) but when I became perimenopausal I gained another 15kg - no change of diet or activity & couldn’t lose a pound of it. I didn’t have any comorbidities but they likely would have begun any day. That’s the thing about carrying excess weight, your body can manage for a while but at some point, it becomes too strenuous & too much for your body to manage. Aches, pains, increased blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnoea, etc. will develop. Some things can be reversed by losing weight but some things will linger or have damaged/weakened organs & you still will have to monitor them. Yes, some people develop gerd after sleeve surgery but a lot of obese people develop it too because of overeating & poor food choices. Same with gall stones. Gall stones can form as a result of high cholesterol, menopause, high bilirubin levels & after losing a lot of weight. Even if your cholesterol is ok now who knows what it will be like in the future. Being obese, or riding the weight loss & gain roller coaster, you’ll likely develop gall stones & need to have your gall bladder removed. So these things could happen even without having the surgery. You said you’ve lost weight in the past. We’ve all lost weight in the past but we’ve also gained it back & more. What makes the surgery successful is doing the head work & making permanent changes to what, why, how & when we eat. We never did that in the past. We changed our diet to lose weight but then went back to eating as we did to gain the weight in the first place. Just some things for you to consider. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Many plans don’t include vegetables until soft foods & only a little fruit to begin after that. Smoothies would be allowed in purées because that’s what they are really: sloppy purées On liquids think really watery. The smoothie would have been too thick & yes the sugar in the fruit would have made you sick. The staged return to eating is to protect your tummy while it’s healing - remember all those stitches & staples inside you that are holding your tummy together. It’s a big learning curve but if you go back to sticking closely to the allowed foods on your plan you’ll be fine. I ate a lot of soup in the liquid stage but I diluted all of them & even strained them after puréeing hem to ensure nothing lumpy or fibrous was missed & so they were really thin. I even diluted my shakes - doubled the required water. All the fluids count to your fluid goals for the day so an added win. Congrats on your surgery.

I don’t have a family to cook for but my same friend said it was a pain to cook two meals each night which was why she tried to cook meals she could eat part of. When she was at the soft food stage she would make things like spaghetti bolognese. Ate the bolognese meat sauce alone herself but served the rest with pasta to her family. Froze extra serves of the meat sauce for herself for other meals so on nights she couldn’t eat what she cooked for the children, she’d just reheat a frozen meal. Easy.

It does seem odd that protein shakes aren’t in your liquid stage diet because protein is important to aid your healing & you need to be consuming some nutrients for your body to function effectively but all plans have differences. You will be getting some protein from the broths & soups. My surgeon was ok with me not meeting my protein goal to begin as long as I was working towards the 60g each day. Water can feel hard & heavy to drink. I was a big water drinker before surgery but after it was a struggle. I was allowed green or herbal teas (always drank green tea so this was great for me). I also found warm drinks more soothing than cool or cold. I used to add double the water to my shake to thin it to make it easier to swallow, dilute the unpleasant taste & so I was drinking something besides water. (I’d warm the chocolate one (squint & imagine hard & you can almost convince yourself it’s hot chocolate 😁) . Remember, all your soups, tea, etc. count towards your daily fluid goal.

For some, the head hunger post surgery is the worst. It’s not real hunger it just seems that way. I think it’s because the surgery is stressful & stirs up a lot of emotions (degrees of fear, anxiety, etc.) and if you used food to temporarily soothe or mask your emotions in the past, your head will drive you more to want to eat to provide comfort now. The staged return to eating solid food is to support & protect your tummy while it is healing. You have a lot of stitches &/or staples holding your tummy together at the moment. If you had a large wound with lots of stitches on your arm you wouldn’t be lifting things or doing things & risk stressing or damaging the wound. Same with your tummy. Add extra salt to your soup/broth or try sugar free jello & popsicles to satisfy the desire for salt &/or sweet if you find managing the cravings difficult. Managing head hunger is the real challenge after surgery & is why many seek the support & guidance of a therapist. Good luck.

I had sleeve surgery too but I have experienced two instances of dumping. The first was at about 18 months post surgery & the second about a month later. Weren’t very severe & didn’t last a long time but temperature, clamminess, diarrhoea, … Strange thing was it occurred after eating a sugar free protein bar the same one I’d been eating for months before & can still eat now without a problem. Have no idea was really caused the dumping though. I’ve had that sudden vomit or gagging/chocking thing with lots of saliva. My restriction (that’s the pressure/tightness & discomfort) usually kicks in early & then about an hour later blah! My team said it was because what I ate was too dry & I wasn’t hydrated enough. It’s happened after I ate char grilled meat & vegetables & plain chicken breast without a sauce so it made sense. Which doesn’t explain why you experienced it after a popsicle. But you’re early out & your tummy is still probably pretty fussy & temperamental. (I described mine as a tantrum throwing 2 year old.) Things you can eat successfully one day you can’t the next. Give your tummy a break from that food for a week or so & then try again.

Were you prescribed an esomeprazole? Because we eat such small portions, acid can build in our tummy & cause those spasm or cutting type pains which we often think are hunger. In Australia you can buy 10mg tablets over the counter but need a script for 20 or 40mg. (I’m prescribed 20mg Nexium.) Probably the same in the UK. Some people take one every day for the first month or two. Others like me take them every day & always will (I’ve always over produced acid & had taken Nexium occasionally for years before surgery). As time progresses you’ll discover that real hunger feels different to head hunger & to stomach acid hunger. Congrats on your surgery.

Soups are great & freeze well. I ate (drank) soup every day plus a shake. I made pumpkin soup on bone broth (I didn’t enjoy the bone broth alone) & puréed & strained it very well. A friend made a big pot of chicken soup from scratch using a broken down chicken (you can use Maryland prices too). Threw in lots of vegetables. Let it simmer for ages. Stained serves for herself but served the rest of the soup with the meat & vegetables for her family. Wonton & ramen soups are good too & can feed both you (strained) & your children.

Found this: How much saturated fat and cholesterol you get in different 100g pieces compared on a rotisserie chicken: Share on Pinterest If you bread & deep fry your chicken wings, the amount of cholesterol will increase even more. If you really want to have chicken wings, remove the skin, add herbs & spices & bake in the oven. But definitely speak with your nutritionalist or doctor for advice. They should also be able to provide you with a list of low cholesterol foods & example recipes.

I had them for the first 24 hours post surgery & that’s all. They were soothing but also restrictive - I hate sleeping on my back - frustrating when I wanted to go to the bathroom - had to call the nurse to get me out if them. After that I was expected to walk & sit out of bed a couple of times each day so had no need for it. I’m also a bit of a wriggler so move my legs, feet & ankles regularly. I had to wear the compression tube things for a full week after surgery. If you suffer from a lot of leg swelling it may be beneficial once you get home from hospital until you’re more active than just able to go for short walks every day. You had a chair that was almost comfortable @The Greater Fool? Who did you pay or sleep with to get that? I’ve spent a lot of time in hospitals with my parents over the years (weeks at a time) & I’ve yet to find a chair that was comfortable for more than 3 minutes. Some were so huge, my feet couldn’t reach the floor - stuck out in front of me - so I had to sit sideways legs over the arms or put my feet up on the bed frame.

The staged return to eating solid foods is to allow your tummy time to heal. Remember you’ve had a huge piece of your tummy removed &/or had your upper intestines redirected & have lots of stitches & staples inside. Imagine if you had a big chunk taken out of your arm or leg & had lots of external stitches - you wouldn’t be out there running about, lifting things & general putting strain & stress in the wound. Same with the internal wound in your digestive system. We all take different amounts of time to heal too which is why some people progress through the stages more slowly.

I started my vitamins straight away too & they were capsules (painful to swallow the first few days but then fine) but yes, surgeons have different plans & requirements. I’d reduce your shakes, or try a different brand, & try adding soups & bone broths to your diet. The gas could be residual from your surgery but it could also be a reaction to lactose or the artificial sweeteners in the shake. Our tummy is pretty sensitive after surgery & you can develop intolerance to certain things like lactose. A lack of energy is pretty common - you’re not consuming much & had pretty major surgery. Give yourself time to heal. Don’t know about the bone pain. You haven’t picked up a flu virus? Give your medical team a call to be sure.

Everyone loses at their own rate. Lots of factors besides just your starting weight will affect the rate at which you lose: age, gender, activity level, metabolic rate, etc. so comparisons with others isn’t the best way to judge or predict your rate of loss. You may lose faster than one person & way slower than someone else but you’re all being successful. If you think you’re not doing as well as someone else, you could derail your progress because you’ll think you’re failing. If I compared myself to say Edward12 (congrats on your weight loss so far), I’d think I was failing - I only lost about half that amount in my first month even if I included my 2 & a half week pre op diet loss but my surgeon was very happy with me. I still reached my goal weight in 6 months & then exceeded it. Unless, you’re losing little or nothing each week (ignore stalling of course) & you’re sticking to your plan you’re doing fine.

What an ass you’re surgeon is! They’re being incredibly unsupportive. How much weight was your surgeon expecting you to lose? 21lbs in 4 weeks is a great loss. Everyone loses at their own rate. Your gender, age, staring weight, activity level, metabolic rate, etc. all impact the rate at which you lose. That’s why comparisons with others are not the best way to judge your progress. Have you ever lost that much weight in a month before? I bet you haven’t - I certainly had never lost at my rate ever before. Celebrate every pound you lose.

You said it yourself: always fill up before my stomach or really my brain has been satisfied. If your brain is wanting more that’s head hunger. If your tummy is full you’ve had enough. There’s a big difference between needing to eat & wanting to eat and also between eating enough & eating until you are full. After my surgery, I started asking myself if I needed that next bite or did I just want it. If I wanted it I put the cutlery down.I still do this. Therapy should help you recognise your cravings & desire to eat (habit, emotions, etc.) & then develop strategies to manage that desire & reduce some of their power. I hope you can find a therapist who is supportive & you feel comfortable with. Good luck.

I did it alone & was fine. A friend dropped me off & picked me up. So you shouldn’t have any issue. I was in hospital for three nights & honestly, I spent a lot of time sleeping that first 24/48 hours. Got up to do my block around the ward then back to bed. Tried to read & watch Netflix but couldn’t concentrate & gave up after a few minutes. Had a couple of phone & txt conversations with friends & family, My whole process was very quick. From GP appointment to surgeon appointment & surgery was 6 weeks. I was pretty comfortable about my decision but I’m someone who once they make up their mind that’s it. I did a lot of reading plus I had a friend who’d had the surgery & I picked her brain a bit before hand. My doctor was supportive. I liked my surgeon & he was confident which helped reaffirm my decision.

Nothing wrong with losing 13lbs. We all lose at our own rate & it’s sometimes best not to compare especially against someone who may be younger, taller, more active, had a higher starting weight, a faster metabolism, etc. Celebrate every pound you lose. It’s amazing.

Try warm liquids. I found them more soothing then cool or cold. I had a lot of swelling post surgery & consequently had lots of issues swallowing too but it did improve each day & by about day 5/6 I was ok & could even swallow my multivitamins without gagging or experiencing discomfort.

So pretty @Sophie7713. You always have great belts too. You’ll steal the night in that dress @kristieshannon. You look fabulous. Can’t wait to see you in the complete ensemble. So wonderful to really dress up.

Looks pretty delicious to me @Dave In Houston. I cook fairly simply too but that’s because I can’t eat spicy food, & I struggle with pasta, rice, potato, etc. Ain’t nothing wrong with simple cooking. 😁

Keto is ok to give you a kickstart but there’s information coming out that it’s not a long term option. Go back to what you were eating up to when you reached your goal. Or you can slowly reduce your portion size & therefore your caloric intake until you start losing again. The caloric point at which you lose could be lower or higher than others depending upon your metabolic rate, activity level, height., age. As I said above I maintain on 1200 - I’m not tall like you, have a smallish frame, am in my mid 50s & not very active. If I eat as much as some others do in maintenance, I’d gain. I can lose if I drop to about 900 - 1000 calories. Did you have a good relationship with your nutritionalist/dietician? You could always go back to them for some guidance.

You may need to be fitted for a new CPAP mask as your face will be smaller & a different shape. In time as you lose more, you may not even need to use a CPAP machine - wouldn’t that be wonderful! Congrats on your weight loss.

Try mixing the crushed meds in a couple of spoons of your shake or soup. If you mix them in a small quantity of liquid you can sip it over a few minutes & ensure you’re getting the full dose. Plus the flavour of the soup or shake may help takeaway any unpleasant taste from the meds. Once your swelling subsides, usually 3-5 days, you’ll be able to swallow the tablets. Good luck & congrats on your surgery.

It can be a bit challenging to find foods that won’t upset you. So sorry you had such a dramatic reaction to your first non liquid meal. Many think yay, real food & try to purée foods that their tummy can’t tolerate yet. Go slowly. Remember you are still healing. Try thicker soups first. I was allowed very soft scrambled eggs, rolled oats, yogurt & I found them easier to eat to begin I think because they were more bland & less stressful on my tummy. Just make sure your purées are still pretty sloppy. Only being able to eat very small portions is very common - think 1/4 - 1/3 cup. You’re eating denser food now & they take longer to digest than liquids which go through your tummy very quickly so you get full much more quickly. Personally, I still find mashed potatoes too heavy to eat - they sit like a lump in my tummy but every one is different in what they can tolerate. Good luck & congrats on your surgery.

Congratulations. What a great story. I hope people who are pre surgery or recently had there’s read your post. I’m sure they would be motivated & encouraged by your story & optimism.