T--Bird

I had my gallbladder out 17 years ago, a month after my daughter was born and I still experience pain like that. I call it the phantom gallbladder and one GI doctor said that I wasn't wrong.
After I had my weight loss surgery I mentioned the pain to my surgeon and she said it's possible there could be something wrong with the sphincter.

As a vet, I'd like to kindly suggest you reframe your thinking. There's no cheating, there are no bad foods. You're still allowed to eat and enjoy food. It's all about balance. You don't need to feel guilty or do an extreme work out to make up for anything. You're going to need to find a sustainable way of eating and relating to food.
Realistically, you likely ate under 1500 calories0 calories

Hi everyone
Not sure if theres anyone else out there feeling like this.
Im on soft stage so having things like egg/ricotta/spinach baked in oven or egg/ricotta pan fried without oil or little bit cous cous with veges or shepards pie, supposed to have half cup volume but im lucky if i have a whole tablespoon worth, i count 20 seconds between each bite and i get these pains in my chest and back, its unbearable.
I take medication for heartburn.
I constantly feel weak & lethargic
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Hi! I’m just wondering if anyone has struggled the way I am. I had surgery October 12. I’ve not been able to stomach anything but Water since. I tried choking down Protein Shakes, tried Protein waters, Protein Shots. I’m now supposed to be eating six small meals per day, which can be yogurt, pudding, blended cottage cheese, or cream Soups. I can’t even finish one and I’m sick for the rest of the day.
Last week I saw my surgeon and was told I have thrush, post nasal drip, and was dehydrated. Was given mucinex d, diflucan, and sent to the hospital for fluids. I felt better but still unable to eat anything. Phenergan and zofran are not helping me.

I’m so frustrated at this point. There have been many tears shed. I’m so sick of feeling sick. I keep telling myself this will pass and the surgery will be worth it, but I feel like I’ve ruined my stomach and will never feel good again.

For me I regret everything about the surgery I feel like I have destroyed an important part of my body to achive something normal dieting and addressing my emotional eating would have achived, a high percentage of surgery patients re gain weight just like with normal diets its not the "fix" we go into it thinking it is and it changes the way you eat and drink forever. Its like being on a very strict diet 24/7 with no break. I would love to be able to cheat just a little. The surgeon says that after 18 months keeping the weight off is up to you as the sleeve no longer works not sure how that happens but if thats the case why do the surgery at all. There are also so many other complications they dont really tell you about i know a young woman who has been sleeved for less than a year and currently having a 4th surgery to sort out complications she is having . Personally my reflux now takes double the strength of meds to control but if i dont eat every 3 hours i feel sick from the reflux so is my life better with a sleeve no it is not. Have i lost weight yes 20kg, but i am miserable and to me thats not worth it.

I hate it, i had second thoughts going into surgery and was treated like i was having pre op nerves. I woke up hoping for some reason the surgery hadnt been done and i spiralled from there to the point of being suicidal. I have been beating myself up over why on earth did i think this was a good idea, why didnt my gp explain how serious the surgery was and why wasnt i given other options, why did the surgeon say " the effects of the sleeve only last 18 months then its up to you" my mind heard in 18 months you will be back to eating and drinking normally, why didnt my dietian say you are not ready for this when answering her questions, why didnt she explain in full detail how eating and drinking would change forever. I spent 8 weeks on my sisters couch curled up in the foetal position bearly eating, having anxiety and panic attacks. I am getting better though i am back at work, i cry at least once a day over what i have done to myself and its hard to incredibly hard. I find no joy or pleasure in food any more its a chore to eat and drink. So i guess i am dealing with lots of problems i wish i hadnt had the surgery as i would much prefer to be fat and happy than slim and miserable 😢😢

Hi, I feel the same and am left wondering how i am going to live my life now. I have reacted so badly to this surgery that i can bearly eat. I would gladly take back the 20kg i have lost to have my stomach back in tact. I dont know how to move past these feelings its awful. I too had been thinking about it since 2016. I think those of us who think about it for a long time arent ready to actually do it. People who make the decision and do it quickly seem to adjust better. I am now 3 months out and everyone kept saying it will get better you wont feel like this for long but i still am 😢. I want to feel better, I want to be happy but i dont know how

Not trying to sound dramatic or anything but I've been on this forum since 2016 and I've been fantasizing about having this surgery for the past decade and I always knew in my mind that the day I do it will be one of the happiest days in my life especially from watching all those YT videos of people speaking about their positive life changes after the surgery and all... now I know that that there are truly positive and beneficial changes which will come from the surgery especially when it comes to health and life expectancy apart from the visual aspect of it and I know that in a few months once I start seeing the difference and losing weight I will feel differently too BUT right now, 5 days after the surgery, from the moment I came out of the operation room and opened my eyes up until this moment I cant stop feeling but regret that I did the surgery, I'm not sure why I feel this way but it's causing me somewhat of a depression and I'm feeling sad all the time that I did it, that I had to cut a part of my inner self and go through all this pain and misery to lose weight, regrets that I couldn't do it without surgery eventhough I tried dieting hard so many times and for so long. I just really regret having this operation and I feel so unhappy about having to do it now that I've done it eventhought I've been wanting to do it for so long.
Anyome else who's had it felt the same way, and what helped you move on?

As someone who is 3-ish weeks out from surgery, I completely understand how you feel. I don’t have much of a desire to eat anything or drink anything, because everything gives me heartburn or indigestion. I’m really tired and I miss going out to drink with my friends. The only things I can keep down are Soup and ice pops. Even Water makes be feel a little ick sometimes. I used to be able to drink 64 oz. of water in like a half hour, and now I can barely get down 1/4 of that amount without feeling gross.
I’m going to be patient with myself and say that this takes time. But 4-6 months feels so far away. And when food is a basic thing you need to function, and something you relied heavily on, every day feels like it’s going at a snails pace.
I mean all of this to say that you aren’t alone in this. I know exactly how you feel.

Im 4 weeks out and questioning whether i should've done this, im experiencing pain when eating in soft phase so am reverting back to Soups for a few days but im also feeling like there is no end to this, ive gone back to work now and honestly that is helping as its moving my focus away from the surgery. I'm not suggesting you do that now as you n body need time to recover but try something like drawing or paint by numbers as distraction, i did needlework (cross stitch) and that really helped too

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How long ago did you have surgery? If it's in the last month or so, what you're feeling is completely normal; many people have "buyer's remorse" after surgery. I sure did! I couldn't eat anything without pain and nothing tasted good for three months or so. By about 4 months out, I started to enjoy eating again. I can eat pretty much anything now at nine months out, though smaller portions. Which is exactly what I wanted. I could eat beef stew with rice (although, I'm not a fan of rice!). I just have to be careful not to eat junk food, which I can eat too much of too easily.
This is a very hard process and I recommend you meet with a bariatric therapist.
My family and I really enjoy going out to eat and trying new foods when we travel. We still do that, I just don't finish everything now. You will still be able to enjoy your husband's cooking. I think I appreciate food more now because I'm actually savoring it, not just inhaling it.
I think it will get better for you.

I am very sad, I can't drink anything without feeling pain. I miss eating a full meal with my family. I don't want to hear I will be better for it, I don't want to hear I'll be happy in the end!!! My Husband and me bond over his cooking (he is an amazing cook) and how great it taste and a Martini or 3 almost every night. He is athletic BTW! All the people I told about this surgery said why are you doing this, you're beautiful, you're not that big! I spent most of my life feeling like an IMPOSTOR in my skin. I feel beautiful some days and some days I felt just unattractive and honestly FAT! I could never say that out loud before.
I am depressed alot but I'm functional and the one thing I could control whether happy or sad was what I wanted to eat! Now I don't even have that anymore. It's been replaced by emptiness, unsatisfactory feeling, pain, and loneliness. God I want that beef stew and white rice it smells amazing and probably tastes 100 times better than that. Instead I have to settle FOR MASSIVE Indegestion and 30 MLs of emptiness! I ABSOLUTELY REGRET THIS SO MUCH!!!
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Thank you for answering me, friends.
I have calmed down a bit, mainly thanks to the idea of bone broths. Yes! I can make bone broths and I can stomach that - and it’s Fluid. So that’s my plan. I am so so grateful to you.
Yes also to yoghurts and I’m 3 weeks in so broth and yoghurt.
Last night I took a bit of the outside of my husband’s pizza and chewed it and chewed it and then just spat it out. (Sorry for TMI). I felt a bit better as well.. maybe just the comforting taste after nothing but Water and bile for two weeks.
So now I’m feeling a bit better.
I have a review with the surgeon in a few weeks and I’m going to have a few things to say. Firstly, that it’s not good enough after paying thousands for aftercare that I can’t even get a phone call when I need one. And two, it’s not good enough for me to have been taken off the antidepressants without consultation or help.
Thank you for giving me the support. I am so grateful.

I was afraid of how it would effect my body in the long run. Honestly I’m much better off. My health is so much better. It takes time getting use to the feeling after I eat. But with time that will get back to normal. Just follow the steps given to you and it won’t be a big deal. You got this!

Thank you and same to you!!

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Thank you for sharing your experience, which was very helpful. I've struggled today, but am going forward with surgery tomorrow. I know it will be hard, but I'm the end it's the best way for better health in my future. So glad to have found this group. It's been helpful to hear from people and see regular discussion of life ahead. Cheers!

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Thank you for sharing your experience and I'm glad you didn't have the same nerves. When things get tough, I'll figure it out as I do with other areas of life. Thank you!!

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Thank you for this, surgery twin! Best of luck tomorrow to us both!

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My surgery is tomorrow, too! (If that's what you mean by Tuesday). The things you're worried about, are temporary issues. Once our tummies settle down - by about a year out - we can pretty much eat anything we want. That's why some people regain all their lost weight - because they're able to go back to their old eating habits. Yes, things will be hard at first. But it will get better.

I would talk to your doctor. I'm 6 days post op, and I had no anxiety going in or uncertainty. I knew I wanted to do this. I'm not saying that to brag, I am saying it because post op is hard. I have had several moments of wondering what in the heck I have done. I can't imagine what those moments would look like if I was unsure going into it. Sometimes the thing that brings me back now is remembering how sure and confident I was before.
With that said, the surgery itself wasn't hard for me. I didn't have a lot of pain. I did have stomach spasms (last for a couple of seconds) every time I sipped anything for like the first 4 days. They have become much more random and occasional and less painful by day 6 though. I am struggling with upping my Fluid intake (I have no urge to drink or hunger, which yay but it makes drinking anything a challenge when your body says you are already full).
The emotional aspect though is rough. I know MANY people struggle with buyers remorse for the first month and then report that it gets so much better. I cried for no reason because my husband brought home pizza last night. I cried wondering if my life will get back to some semblance of normal. And I am not a person that cries often. My husband panicked.
Most people have anxiety around surgery itself, so if it's that, then I would say it's normal. However, if you are having anxiety and concern around the lifestyle itself, that would be a red flag for me.
I hope it gets better, and I hope you make the right choice for you (whatever it may be).

Omg- tomorrow! Wishing you all the best!!

Thank you!

Healthy wishes for a speedy process and recovery!

Hello, just joined! October 18th for gastric bypass surgery. I'm still wavering due to anxiety and uncertainty about the lifestyle ahead and whether there was more i could have done. About out of time, but wish I was more excited.

Ok, I'm the rare weirdo that was absolutely not worried about anything. I was so excited and so ready that there was no room for nerves. When I got to the hospital that day, my surgeon said they could give me something for my nerves if I needed it and he was shocked that I didn't lol I was laughing and chatting and just ready. I haven't regretted it at all. I'm 5 1/2 months out, and I will say the week before and 2 weeks after the surgery were the hardest. Week before because of the liquid diet and 2 weeks after because my stomach was ultra sensitive and I had a lot of pain at my incisions. Week 3 was better, and by week 4 I was completely fine. There will be some pain, and you will absolutely have to relearn how to properly eat and drink. But I promise you, this will absolutely improve your life so much if you follow the plan and put in the work. It's a very useful tool.