Shae

Warning: This is disturbing. I was sleeved on 10/19/11. At the end of September, I interviewed for a new position in a different department within my company and they made me an offer on 10/13. I accepted and my time out for surgery was part of my two week notice. I started on Halloween so, no one here knew anything about me or that I had just had surgery. So, before the first week is out, the secretary in the building puts out an email about a pot-luck. Not wanting to seem unfriendly, I signed up for a fruit and veggie tray. The day comes around and I am still on mushies so I didn't get a plate. The secretary pulled me aside and asked if I was ok. I told her I had had a type of WLS called the Vertical Sleeve and that I was not able to eat solid foods yet. Here is the disturbing part... She said that her best friend's daughter was 350 lbs and decided to have the sleeve done. She said that the young woman was not prepared for the changes she would have to make and could not cope with the inability to eat large quantities of food. Then she told me that the young woman commited suicide. I was not quite sure how to respond. Why was she telling me this? Was she just sharing her experience? Was she, in her own way, telling me that she was against WLS? I really feel for the family of the young woman and wonder if she had any type of support group or if she had to do a psych eval as part of her pre-op. I am really disturbed by what she told me so I thought I might share to get it off my mind. I know that sounds selfish and I am sorry. How do you take this sort of news and just continue on your merry way? Shae

Have you tried MyFitnessPal.com? It's free and you can track all sorts of things. I track calories, Protein, carbs, Calcium, fat, and sodium. There are other options. Maybe a week of tracking will show that youo are getting too much of something or too little. Or it can help you change things up a bit to trick your body into burning calories again. Shae

Something doesn't sound right. Everything should have been approved prior to surgery. The doctor's office should have worked out the details about how long the hospital stay was scheduled for and gotten it approved before setting a date. I don't know about these things except from other people but if it were me, I would get in touch with the doctor's insurance coordinator first. Good luck. Paying for an overnight stay at the hospital would suck because then you would have to pay for any and everything they gave you from pain meds to IV fluids to meals to toothpaste! Keep us posted. Shae

I read somewhere that wearing compression garments after the surgery will help with the saggy areas. This is what I understood: As you walk, your skin is jarred. We usually have a layer of muscle, then fat, then skin. When we are getting rid of the fat so fast, the skin starts to pull away from the thinning layer of fat, thus causing the sagginess. With a compression garment on, it holds the skin tight so that it cannot separate and results in much less baggy skin. I don't know how true this is and my doctor is out of town for three weeks. I plan to ask him about it when he gets back. Shae

I went through a mourning process, too. I went through all five stages and am now at the acceptance stage. Stage 1: Denial. Even though the rational side of my brain knew that I would never be able to eat the way I did pre-surgery, the other side did not believe that I would not be able to eat what I wanted when I wanted, just smaller quantities. Stage 2: Anger. The "What have I done!" set in about 8 days post-op. My husband was my rock at that time and helped me get through it by reminding me why I chose to do this. Stage 3: Bargaining. I didn't realize it at the time but looking back, I "bargained" by grazing. I would eat my small portion and as soon as I felt like I could, I would take a bite of something else (or another bite), a.k.a. grazing. Stage 4: Depression. I was so very sad until a post here. While responding to it, I had an epiffany. My response said that I had divorced the "Fat Girl" or "Fat Lady" when the surgeon took out 85% of my stomach. I was not the same post-op as I was pre-op and I didn't want to be. But it was still hard to lose that part of me, no matter how unhappy she made me. Stage 5: Acceptance. I am here now. That is not to say I don't occasionally feel emotions or fight behaviors from the other four stages, I just am better prepared for them and can recognize them for what they are. It does get better. Maybe not easier but you do learn how to better deal with the emotional side of things. I hope this helps you. Shae

Well you have friends now. We may not be able to lend an actual shoulder or hug but we certainly are here for you 24 hours a day. I happen to be blessed with a very supporting family but they are all normal weights and have been all their lives. They can only support me to an extent because they have no real idea what I am going through. That is why I really love this site. Everyone is on the same journey and they share their trials and tribulations. Take comfort in knowing that we are all here for you. Shae

I think that is AWESOME! I am only in week 4 and have had a few NSV's. I am in the "Week Three Stall" right now but that's ok. I am still learning. I can't wait to get where you are!! Congratulations on the victory over the turnstile!! Shae

Oh the irony! It is my lunch time and I (as usual) came here to read as much as possible. I have my personal heater on high and am wearing a sweater and a blanket. Others in the room are in short sleeves. I have not (knocking on wood profusely) started losing my hair yet. Shae

I just joined myfitnesspal.com and sent you all friend requests. My username is shaesimpson. Thank you for posting! Shae

My sleeve actually caused the opposite. As someone with IBS, plentiful smelly (nauseating) gassious emissions were a part of every day life pre-surgery. I tried to get as far away from everyone as possible and even resorted to going outside but sometimes, I couldn't get away in time. I have had minimal gas and it does not really have a smell since the surgery. My husband and kids (one of which vomited because of it) are VERY thankful for the change. I guess this shows that all of our bodies react differently, huh? Shae

I have a desk job, too. I was sleeved on Wednesday, October 19th, released from the hospital on Friday afternoon and was back to work Tuesday, October 24th with no issues. I could have gone back on Monday but I really didn't like my boss at the time so I took a "Me" day and went shopping.

I was sleeved 10/19/11. I lost 18 lbs in the two weeks prior to surgery and have lost 13 lbs. since the sleeve. I am still learning what my sleeve likes and what it doesn't. I am also trying to figure out how many calories I need in a day to prevent my body from going into starvation mode and keeping everything. I have experimented with 500 a day and that didn't work. 700 was not good. Now I'm going to try 800 (how I will get that many calories in is beyond me), There is a group for us October sleevers called October 2011 or something like that. Shae

I have read some websites where the information says you can stretch it and others where it says that you cannot stretch it very much at all. I think the biggest factor for what your doctor tells you is his/her method of dealing with people. For instance, I was seeing a primary doctor who said that my BP was elevated and that I would have to go on a strict salt free diet unless I wanted to have a stroke. She was not willing to prescribe any meds. I switched doctors (for this reason and because all she saw was my obesity) and was told that I should cut down on salt as much as possible and have my BP rechecked. After a few checks, she put me on a med. I believe that we should take a middle of the road view. We are capble of stretching the sleeve but not very much. Listen to your body, stop when you feel full, and don't beat yourself up or freak out if you think you may have had too much. She

I have been told that the body goes into starvation mode when it doesn't get enough to sustain it. Then it holds on to everything. The trick is to find the point at which your body is getting what it thinks is enough. Find this point and then it will get rid of any excess. If someone knows how to figure out where the tipping point is, I would love to know... Shae

Just saw the post from the Pass Christian person. It's great to have this online community for support but to find someone local is really cool. I was thinking of looking for a local face to face type of support group that is just for us sleevers. Nothing like a real hug from someone who's been there. Please PM me? Shae

I am Shae and I am in Biloxi. I was sleeved 10/19/11 at Keesler AFB. I would love to talk to the person in Ocean Springs. Please PM me?

It is day 22 for me. I was sleeved on 10/19/11. It was rough going but I am slowly getting the hang of it. This community has been pretty much the only thing keeping me sane other than my husband.

For both of my pregnancies I was told that any exercising I was doing prior to conception was fine after conception. I was told by both of my OB/GYN's that to start a regimine after you are pregnant could potentially be harmful to the baby. With that being said, My children are 16 and 11. They (doctors) are discovering every day that things they previously thought were true are actually false. Research it on the internet and ask your doctor. Congratulations! I too have PCOS, am 37 and do not want any more. However, if it did happen, I would be so happy! Shae

I had the same issue with milk. It has not gotten any better (I am only 22 days out). In fact, I have developed lactose intollerance to milk only thank goodness. But things do still taste different. I tried shrimp, one of my favorite foods, and it was just ok. I saw a commercial for Wendy's and was drooling over the (wait for it...) Tomato! Not the bread, cheese, meat or lettuce, the tomato. I don't even like tomatoes!! Go figure. My way of dealing with these things is to remember that I divorced the Fat Girl the moment I lost 85% of my stomach. Things are going to be different without her nagging!! Shae

I was told that the surgery would NOT cure my IBS due to it being a large intestine problem. Pre-surgery, I was loose to watery about 5 times a day, every day. I started on acidophilous and it became not so loose and maybe three times a day. Now that I am 22 days post-op, I no longer have loose BM's but I go about once every day and a half or so. I still have the loud lower bowel sounds that mimick flatulence (embarassing as he!! since I work in an office environment) but so far, no more "tuck and run" episodes. It may be that I cannot eat the trigger foods right now (fresh raw veggies, high fat items, lettuce, or high Fiber items) or it may have to do with the minimal amount of food going in. Who knows. All I know is that I am no longer on the acidophilous and HAPPY about that. It's nice to not worry about where the bathroom is and how far away from it can I safely be!! Shae

I am doing pretty good. The first few weeks are definately a learning experience, no matter how well you think you are prepared. VST has been a lifesaver for me with answers to questions I didn't even know I had. Personally, I went through a mourning period and a "What have I done!" period and now I'm in the "Man, this is AWESOME!" phase. Yesterday I had the following: 1 HB egg 1 15g Protein Shake 1 stick of string cheese 5 bites of rotisserie chicken breast 1 30g Protein shake 1 scrambled egg 2 small turkey sausage links Water, water, water, water And I stayed fulll all day. It is great considering that back in August, I was consuming around 5,000 calories a day! The best advice I can give you is to read everything you can on post-op stuff and hospital experiences. I wish I had read more and asked my doctor some more specific questions about medications and such. (I am on 4 different mood stabilizing prescriptions and was unaware that I would not be able to take them for three days. Talk about a basket case!) If there is anything I can help you with, please just let me know. I'm no expert (I'm only 22 days out) but I will try my best to answer you. Shae

Ketosis is where you burn fat cells for energy rather than carbohydrates. Consuming little to no carbs for a few days gets you there and continuing to keep the carbs below 40 or so will keep you there. Supposedly, it will make the weightloss go quicker. I have heard some people say that they are a little fuzzy in the head when trying to learn something new or recall information because the brain works on carbs. But, this only happens to some people. Here is a good article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/180858.php. Shae

I was never really a sweets person but I was definately was a carb person. chips, Potatoes, Pasta, especially white rice, sauces, gravies, breads, etc... All of these turn into sugar in your body (or your body turns them into sugar, don't remember). So, in a roundabout way, I was a sugar-holic. Since my sleeve on 10/19/11, I have not really wanted any of the high carb things. They don't look or smell appealing anymore. The only thing that I really cannot be around is Dorito's or Tostito's. The smell makes me instantly want to tackle the person holding them and just eat them until I'm sick. My solution - go into the other room or just move away from the person eating them. I would never consider the RNY. My main reason for getting the sleeve is to be healthy. The malabsorption and potential malnutrition that is caused by the RNY was just not what I would consider healthy. I am falling in love with my sleeve more and more every day. I'm not really losing weight very fast but I am losing size. I went into the hospital in a tight 24W and today, 22 days later, I am in a lose size 20W. Shae

I read a post somewhere on here where someone else has a big bruise on their hip. Maybe it's from the way they moved you after surgery or something. Glad it's not your kidneys and also glad to hear that you are moving. Shae

My first thought is kidneys. I'm not a doctor or even in the medical field though so I can only draw on pre-surgical experience. I had a kidney infection a few years ago and the only symptom was pain in my back on the right side. With you not getting in all your Water, you may not be flushing out all the "stuff" in your kidneys. Sip, Sip, Sip as often as you can. For the first few days I had to carry water everywhere refusing to put it down. Every time I thought about it I would take a sip. I would definately get in touch with your doctor on this though. Movement will help too. I get "stove up" when I don't move enough. Even if you have low energy, make yourself get up and walk around the house a few times. It adds up, gets your blood pumping and makes you feel better quicker. This is the crazy part... exercising gives you more energy (seems to me it would use it up) and I have felt this. I hope this helps. Shae