River Moon

Hi there, Chantrella. I haven't lost enough weight yet to see much change yet, but I experienced this after the last diet I went on 5 years ago (gained it all back, plus some). I had lost 92 lbs, and obviously should have seen a change, but couldn't. I would look in the mirror and see myself just as big as before. My therapist said it's called Body Dysmorphia. It's basically when the brain sees our body looking different than what it is. She told me it's common after major weight loss because our brains get so used to seeing our bodies as it has for so long. Then, suddenly we drop and shrink, but our brains haven't caught up to our success yet. Eventually, I started to see my weight loss with her help. Some people experience it as a lifelong struggle she said, but working through it with my therapist helped me to finally see it. After regaining it all, I saw some pictures taken after that weight loss, and I couldn't understand how I never saw how "small" (for me) I had gotten. It frustrated me, but I'm trying to remember that for this time around.

I think it's fantastic you're starting this journey for yourself. I am 7 weeks out now from my gastric sleeve and I am definitely one of those who wishes I would have done it sooner. I was terrified at the idea of having surgery. I had my gallbladder out years ago, and for many years I just couldn't see myself purposely making the choice to have surgery. Finally, after multiple weight losses and regains and my body feeling exhausted at doing any little thing, I said enough is enough. I am so happy I did now. As for the catheter fear, I was so scared of that too. I did not have one. And like Lizonaplane said, they want us walking around literally hours after the surgery. And trust me, as tired as you will feel, walking is so good 'cause it helps to get rid of the gas pains. Also, let your surgeon know you don't want a catheter that way they know. I told mine I didn't want one. I'm not even sure if he does them or not, but I just made it clear I really didn't want one if it could be helped. I worried about risks too, but again just as lizonaplane said, they are rare. I kept looking at it like, either I go and have surgery now and fix this, or keep going downhill with my health and wind up in the hospital for my health down the line anyway. The fact you have such a supportive family is awesome! It makes such a huge difference to have that sort of support. I have that too and it has made this such a smoother process. One last note... I was very nervous the morning of surgery and I asked them to give me something to help me calm down before they took me into the OR. What they gave me was amazing! So, you can ask for something before your surgery too and it really REALLY helps. It's good stuff. My sister said I apparently gave her a big smile and thumbs up when they were wheeling me out. I do not remember that. Last thing I remember was being told to move to the table. Then, I was waking up in post-op.

My surgeon did not have any pre-op diet either, aside from the clear liquids only the day before surgery. I felt the same as you, though. It felt odd to me to just eat normally and then shock my body and mind like that. Not to mention, I know my digestive system and was worried I'd go into surgery with too much moving along in there that would make me sick after surgery. I knew most people are put on the pre-op diet for liver-shrinking reasons too, and I just did not want to wake up in post-op being told my liver was too large to do the surgery. I really did not want to have to do any pre-op diet though, so I negotiated with myself lol. I put myself on a very low carb diet for just a week. I slowly reduced my caffeine to zero. Then, three days before my surgery, I moved to all clear liquids. The morning of surgery I felt safer by doing that and I had lost a nice chunk of weight even (water weight of course, but still felt good 🙂). As for what I wish I would have prepared for more prior to surgery, water sipping is actually was actually mine. I think it's great you're practicing that. I did not, and had a difficult time dealing with that in the beginning. Your diet plan sounds great and healthy. I wish you all the best as you head towards surgery and beyond.

I agree with Dame21. I had one of my incisions (one of the smaller ones) open like that. My surgeon used this clear stitch glue stuff, so I never had any blood come out, but it did look like it bled just a little under the glue stuff. When I saw my surgeon for my next follow-up soon after, he said it looked fine. I think they just sometimes heal like that. So far, that is the darkest scar forming out of all of them. Like Dame said, just follow up with your doctor on Monday.

Congratulations!! Your hard work and success definitely shows.

That's awesome! Congratulations!

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So exciting! This is going to be one of the best things you can do for yourself. I'm 5 weeks post-op and just so happy I did it. You're going to do great! I wish you the best.

That's so awesome!! Congratulations! 😊

I don't know of any specific doctors, but I see you're in California like me. Stanford Children's up north has adolescent bariatric surgery and they list their doctors who do the surgeries with their hospital too. I know Stanford is a great hospital and family who have gone to the hospital (non-bariatric reasons). Here's a link to their bariatric page for adolescents. I wish your son and you the best in this new journey! https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/service/bariatric-surgery

Welcome! Congratulations on being on this awesome journey. I did not have my surgery with that doctor, but I wish you well and lots of success!

I'm so glad it is getting better for you. Great job with the iron!

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I wanted to ask if you are by any chance taking any Ibuprofen lately? For me, too much Ibuprofen, like Motrin, flares up my tinnitus and causes horrible ringing in my ears. It wasn't until one bad flare up that I finally realized it. Once I stopped the ibuprofen the ringing stopped about a day later. Also, sometimes high blood pressure can cause a roaring sound in the ears. My sister has experienced that before and her doctor told her it was due the bp. I hope you're able to find out what is causing this.

Hi there, Jessica. Congratulations on having your surgery! Each surgeon has specific plans they want their patients to follow, but the 2nd stage (what you are on) seems to be pretty universal. All liquids is what you should be getting in. Soups (clear broth only at this stage), shakes, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles, and juices are all counted as your daily fluid intake, so that helps a lot with getting in our fluids. I still have zero appetite, so I have to force myself to drink my shakes (still my most efficient way of getting in protein), and get my protein in. If you find you're forgetting to eat, just set some timers on your phone to remind you. Also, be sure to sip water or fluids all day a little at a time so you don't get dehydrated. Due to not having any appetite, it took me a while to learn what full felt like in my stomach now. For me it's not that old pre-op feeling of fullness. It's now like a "ugh, ok I'm done" feeling. One sip I will feel fine. The next sip, "ugh ok, I'm done." It's so weird eating so little now, but awesome at the same time. You will eventually learn when you're body is telling you it's full. Just remember, we can only eat whatever we can eat. So, don't force anything down you feel is too much. And, of course, our surgeons and nutritionists are good friends of ours right now. As for bloating, I felt bloated too for a good week or so after my surgery. Our bodies are still healing, and we still have gas trapped inside us from the surgery itself that adds to the bloating. Sleeping can be difficult too in the beginning. For me, the gas pain was so bad that sleeping was hard. I had to prop myself up if I was in bed, or just sit up in a recliner and recline just a little in order to get comfortable. It will get better, though, I promise! It just takes time for that gas to release (gas-X chewables are amazing for that), the stomach muscles that were cut to heal, and for our bodies to adjust to the new change in lifestyle. Edit: Also wanted to add that for the first week I was only able to get down one 11oz Shake a day, and water. My nutritionist told me that was completely normal and to slowly work my way up. So don't stress yourself out if you can't get much down right now.

I also had a lot of tests that needed to be done. I had blood work, Urinalysis, an Upper Endoscopy, chest xray, and a Cardio-pulmonary Stress test. Unfortunately, they failed me for the cardio-pulmonary stress test, because I couldn't hit the final mark on the the treadmill for the test. So I was scheduled for a nuclear stress test from a cardiologist to get clearance. A nuclear stress test uses medication to work your heart as if you're on a treadmill, but in reality you're not moving. Not a fun one to have, but I completed all 3 marks. I'm still frustrated they failed me for the cardio-pulmonary, due to the fact that at my size and fitness level I didn't understand why they would expect me to complete that properly. But, oh well. It was for my own good and it all worked out in the end. I never needed an ultrasound because I had my gallbladder out years ago, and my surgeon does them for that reason only. Just hang in there and keep focused on that goal of surgery day. It's a lot of time spent for the tests, but completely worth it in the end! And, they're all for our own good so that we have the best chance of success. Good luck and congrats on your journey!

Hi Dan. You're a great husband being so supportive of your wife. She's definitely blessed to have you. I am currently 11 days post-op from my gastric sleeve. I have been living with bipolar II for many years, and I have continued to take my meds as scheduled. I talked with my psychiatrist prior to surgery to ask her if any changes would need to be made, and she gave me tips on my different medications. One she switched to a dissolves-in-the-mouth form, which helps a lot since it is a difficult pill to get down after surgery. As someone stated above, the malabsorption issues tend to happen with bypass more than sleeve. One of the reasons I leaned toward the sleeve instead of bypass is for that very reason. I've been stable on my meds for some time now, and I didn't want to risk throwing myself off. Something to remember too, is that as weight loss occurs, sometimes doses need to change (often go lower) to work with our new weight. So, as long as your wife and yourself keep that in mind too, it will help to know if maybe something needs adjusting in time. As for the immediate depression that people sometimes feel, I had that. The first week following my surgery I sat there feeling low and asking myself, "Why did I do this to myself?" I was in pain and had very little energy, so I just felt like I had made a huge mistake. However, prior to surgery, I had read that type of depression can occur. Therefore, I just tried my best to keep telling myself it is only temporary. Sure enough, now as the pain has significantly subsided and my energy is going back up, I feel much better. I would say, being prepared for those ups and downs are one of the biggest aides in our recovery. It helped me to know it was something common that many people experience, and also that it was only temporary. Well wishes to your wife on her new journey!

Welcome to the healing side of things. I am 1-week post op today and had this same issue. Just as Arabesque said, mixing them with your shake or some soup is a great idea. My nutritionist also said using a little sugar free Jello works too. Jello essentially melts in our mouth and stomach so it's ok for phase 2. Congratulations and well wishes on your recovery.

Congratulations!! You look fantastic!

Thank you! ☺️

Hi everyone! First post here. My surgery is scheduled for July 7th, first thing in the morning. I'm so nervous, yet excited at the same time. I'm so ready to get my life moving in a healthier direction. 🙂