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I am three weeks out and have noticed that initially, my fullness came as hiccups. My doctor explained that hunger and fullness would initially appear in different ways in your body. So long as you are feeding your body, you will be fine. After surgery, your stomach will be stiff. It was cut down, so as it heals, it will be stiff. When your stomach starts to grumble, it creates stomach pains from gas. I am having this difficulty now. Gas-X remains my friend for times such as these. But, remember, don't eat to be full. Eat to be satisfied, an adjustment that will take some time to get used to. Be patient with yourself, and you will get there.

Yes it happens all the time. Trust the process, do what your team says and stay off the scales. Easier said than done i know. Read the back pages on here of the 3 week stall

my clinic gave me two or three choices. If none of those worked for me, I'm sure they would have given me more options (although probably further out)

100%. But I've gained 15-20 lbs in the last three years or so - but I think it's still much higher than the average (average for bypass being 70%)

So much this. Even now, almost 6 weeks post surgery - sometimes I get depressed because now I only eat to fill the pouch. I don't get to eat to ENJOY food anymore. I know this is a mental thing - and part of my problems to begin with - but it's so saddening.

I think it came back from insurance in a couple of weeks, but due to the backlog at the clinic, it took them about a few weeks to submit it. The biggest delay was just getting on the surgical schedule. I think they are still running at a reduced schedule due to COVID, so the delay to even get on the schedule can be a month or two. Also, based on previous experience in this area, most facilities only schedule out a couple of months at a time, so like clockwork, I got my date exactly 2 months prior. I trust the surgeon, she is very experienced, but I think the hospital and staff are just swamped with a huge backlog.

You lost 16# in one week?? That's amazing. Losing weight is non-linear, you should expect some ups and downs.

I’m two weeks out, and I have a couple of questions. 1. When will I start feeling full? I don’t feel full when I eat (granted I’m only on purees). 2. I have sharp pain if I have to bend over or when I sit down. It’s always in the same spot. I didn’t have this pain during the first week. Is this normal?

My surgery was 8/3, week one post op I had a weight loss of 16 lbs. second week I was down another 1.3… making it a total of 17.3. Weighed today & I’m up 2 lbs…. Talk about discouraging… has this happened to anyone else?

I'm sure he has his reasons for telling you that, but my doc said no working out for 6 weeks or until she clears me. I am supposed to be walking as much as I can comfortably. I've been trying to work up to 3 miles, but I don't walk fast and I take breaks when I need to. Maybe just start with walking a comfortable distance.

Today for my morning Hot Drink I grabbed a short cappuccino. It was so good and I had no issue with my stomach after. As an avid coffee drink pre-op, and not having any caffeine for the last 2 weeks... It was the best cup of coffee I have ever had.

Two to three months should be plenty of time to get your questions answered and get yourself prepared I would think. You can always ask for a later surgery date if you don’t feel ready but I’m guessing you will be.

I would love to see them stick to the pre and post op diets for even a week and then say that it’s the easy way out. Cutting ties with people is never easy but sometimes it’s necessary. I’m glad you put that unnecessary negativity behind you.

Normal BP, although it had only been high requiring meds in the months prior to surgery. Normal blood glucose. I was right at borderline before. Normal liver enzymes; I have NASH, so that is a big deal! My asthma is COMPLETELY improved. I could not tolerate exercise before because I would start coughing and wheezing and get short of breath. Now I can do things like run upstairs and not even be slightly winded. In the past year I have needed my rescue inhaler once. I used to need it several times a week. I never cough or wheeze anymore. I can't even tell I have asthma anymore and it's amazing! I just had my spirometry testing and it was perfect. I feel like I can do anything now. Then I remember I'm 51 and my body doesn't always agree. [emoji23] Sent from my Pixel 5a using BariatricPal mobile app

I had surgery on August 15 can’t even believe it’s already a week out

August 15th here can’t believe tomorrow is already a week

Now that I've had my surgery, I can comment on the other side of things. I will be honest, the pcos makes it harder to lose weight and keep it off. But if you stick RELIGIOUSLY to your diet, work out (even if it's a little everyday, nothing crazy), you WILL see results. I've lost 69 pounds in 3 1/2 months. And it's staying off. Will stalls happen? YES. Do they royally suck and mess with your head? HELL YES. But they are normal, they will happen, and as long as you pay attention to your non scale victories (getting off meds, clothes and rings too big, fitting in a booth better, comfortably fitting in a "regular" stall and not the bigger handicapped one, etc) you'll see progress even when the scale isn't moving. I've been off my blood pressure and diabetes meds for months. It's AMAZING. The pcos will make it harder, and will test you, but you can do this. You're stronger and better than the stupid pcos. Once you believe that, the rest is easier.

Prior to deciding on surgery how much weight loss has been common for everyone? Last fall I was at least 260 pounds. Decided to join the local YMCA and swim with a great friend. Gained another to swim with us. Last fall was swimming at least 3 times a week. This spring and summer has been crazy only about 2 times a week. Now at stalling out on the weight loss.

Well, now that I've had my surgery, I can comment again on this from the other side. I will be honest, the pcos makes it harder to lose weight and keep it off. But if you stick RELIGIOUSLY to your diet, work out (even if it's a little everyday, nothing crazy), you WILL see results. I've lost 69 pounds in 3 1/2 months. And it's staying off. Will stalls happen? YES. Do they royally suck and mess with your head? HELL YES. But they are normal, they will happen, and as long as you pay attention to your non scale victories (getting off meds, clothes and rings too big, fitting in a booth better, comfortably fitting in a "regular" stall and not the bigger handicapped one, etc) you'll see progress even when the scale isn't moving. I've been off my blood pressure and diabetes meds for months. It's AMAZING. The pcos will make it harder, and will test you, but you can do this. You're stronger and better than the stupid pcos. Once you believe that, the rest is easier.

I will be honest, the pcos makes it harder to lose weight and keep it off. But if you stick RELIGIOUSLY to your diet, work out (even if it's a little everyday, nothing crazy), you WILL see results. I've lost 69 pounds in 3 1/2 months. And it's staying off. Will stalls happen? YES. Do they royally suck and mess with your head? HELL YES. But they are normal, they will happen, and as long as you pay attention to your non scale victories (getting off meds, clothes and rings too big, fitting in a booth better, comfortably fitting in a "regular" stall and not the bigger handicapped one, etc) you'll see progress even when the scale isn't moving. I've been off my blood pressure and diabetes meds for months. It's AMAZING. The pcos will make it harder, and will test you, but you can do this. You're stronger and better than the stupid pcos. Once you believe that, the rest is easier.

I was much larger than you and I have PCOS and I had insulin resistance that turned into type 2 diabetes. I will be honest, the pcos makes it harder to lose weight and keep it off. But if you stick RELIGIOUSLY to your diet, work out (even if it's a little everyday, nothing crazy), you WILL see results. I've lost 69 pounds in 3 1/2 months. And it's staying off. Will stalls happen? YES. Do they royally suck and mess with your head? HELL YES. But they are normal, they will happen, and as long as you pay attention to your non scale victories (getting off meds, clothes and rings too big, fitting in a booth better, comfortably fitting in a "regular" stall and not the bigger handicapped one, etc) you'll see progress even when the scale isn't moving. I've been off my blood pressure and diabetes meds for months. It's AMAZING. The pcos will make it harder, and will test you, but you can do this. You're stronger and better than the stupid pcos. Once you believe that, the rest is easier.

I just was sleeved on 8/16. I have been over 300 pounds for YEARS… but as long as I was able to do what I wanted and needed to - I didn’t see the need. Last year I hit my heaviest weight ever at 382… and I was like NOPE this isn’t happening. I worked my butt off to loose weight and had a good start. Then I got sick and we found out my liver was enlarged (like 3x the size it should be) and my fatty liver was progressing to NASH and my liver function tests were concerning my drs. Finally I was ready to consider surgery. I lost about 55 pounds from my heaviest leading up to my pre surgery diet (over about 9 months). I had a few set backs with having covid during that time. My endocrinologist was pleased with my liver reduction (through palpitations) and knowing I was scared about surgery told me if I kept making progress I could hold off on surgery if I wanted. But I was to worried that there would always be another “set back” and my liver wasn’t anything I wanted to mess with. I lost another 12 pounds on my pre op diet. I asked my surgeon how my liver looked after surgery (there was a chance I was also going to end up with a liver biopsy in addition to a hernia repair) and she told me my liver looked fantastic and to keep doing what I was doing - no need for the biopsy. There’s no guarantees that weight loss would reverse my liver condition - but it was my best shot. However I was told if I did nothing it certainly would continue to deteriorate. I’m not quite a week out. I’m sore - occasional movements hurt, at times a bit nauseous (not horrible) and I’m sick of the liquid diet … but I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. I have confirmation I’m on the right track and that means the world to me. I’m not looking to be a particular size or weight, I’m working towards being healthy and that includes my liver, joints and over all well being. My husband was supportive right from the beginning to do whatever I wanted to do. At times I wavered because I was scared - but he was my rock and honestly I think not doing something scared him more that the surgery (he was scared too). He sat in my drs appointment when the dr explained what the progression of my liver from NAFLD to NASH meant and what to expect if I didn’t make some real changes. My only advice is find a bariatric program you are comfortable with. It took me two tries. Have your boyfriend come along if he’s able and if not take someone you trust to be objective and SUPPORTIVE. Having that support helps. Also if you have a therapist talk to them about it - your concerns, fears, hopes for the outcome. And if you don’t have one, consider finding someone who deals with bariatric health. I see mine every two weeks and we always touch on where I’m at in the process - it has helped. No one can tell you what the right decision is for you, but I do hope you have support whatever you choose to do. Best of luck and please update how you are doing no matter what you decide.

Feeling discouraged. Sleeve surgery 7/20 and lost 30lbs by 8/3. Started having chest pains and neck pains- turns out to be pancreatitis. Admitted to the hospital 8/7 and got out on 8/13. While in the hospital, I gained 24lbs back in fluid weight because I was NPO for a week so that’s all I could have. I lost 4lbs the first day I came home then about 10 more in the last couple of days and now I’ve gained 6lbs. I haven’t changed anything except added more protein and eating more soft foods instead of liquids, so why am I gaining weight now? I was so excited to see the weight loss but now I’m discouraged because I saw a BIG gain in a weeks time. I spoke with my PA and Dr and both agreed to let me start taking Lasix again but a smaller dose to see if it helps get more weight off because I’m swelling something terrible in my feet and legs. I try to keep my sugar below 10g a day because I think sugar is the culprit but I haven’t had much and the only other thing I can think of is my sodium intake. Any suggestions? Any pieces of advice to keep my head up? It’s so hard because I saw such a quick drop in weight and now I’ve gained 6lbs quickly 🙁

I was very close to your size when I had my surgery. My surgery was covered completely by my insurance because I had very difficult to control type 2 diabetes in addition to HTN, and dyslipidemia. For diabetes prior to surgery, I was taking metformin, Bydureon, 80 units of Levemir insulin twice daily and 20 units of Novolog with each meal & snack. If you are familiar with insulin, you know these are really high doses so we are talking extreme insulin resistance. After the surgery, I was immediately off of insulin and rapidly lost weight for the first 3-4 months and then stalled out after losing 50lbs. I stayed stuck between 160-170 for about 3 years and then when the Covid pandemic started, my husband was diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer. My stress levels went through the roof (I work in a hospital and was watching people die left and right thinking that at any time, my husband would be next). Anyway, I wound up regaining back up to 185 and started requiring insulin again at low doses. Then last year, I started on Ozempic and wound up starting to lose weight again and came off of the insulin again. After several months of Ozempic, I am now below my goal weight. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised to find that you will initially lose weight very easily. The weight loss should help reduce but may not resolve your insulin resistance. Keeping the weight off long term may be more difficult but is still quite doable.

We’re all different but I was barely eating 200-300 calories for the first weeks (I wasn’t given caloric goals). I only got to about 900 at 6 months. You’ve only just had your surgery so take the time you need to reach your goals. My surgeon was happy if I was getting closer & making an effort. If you’re close to getting your fluids in you really shouldn’t be experiencing dehydration but it’s still important to watch out for. Don’t worry if you miss your goal/s one day, as long as that’s an odd occurrence & not a regular one you’ll be ok. Headaches & nausea aren’t that uncommon this soon after surgery. The stress & anxiety of the surgery & then worrying if you are doing the right thing contribute plus you may be experiencing some withdrawal type symptoms too because of the restricted diet. If it persists, & reduces your ability to get your protein & fluids in, contact your surgeon. Many of us experience changes in our sense of smell & taste over the first weeks. Many find the shake they enjoyed before surgery is suddenly disgusting. It can affect your reaction to any food. Some can become excessively sweet or salty. Then there will be days when your tummy says nope don’t like to something you regularly ate/drank. If that happens, avoid it for a few days even a week or so & try it again. Your tummy is just sensitive & fussy while it is healing - I described mine as being like a petulant, temper throwing 2 yr old. Artificial sweeteners are awful. I try to avoid them where I can but they seem to be in almost everything. I loved when foods became crazy sweet & used the time to eradicate any craving for sugar/sweet. I only have a small amount of sugar (<10g added sugar) or sweetened food in my diet (yoghurt & protein bar only). Instead of yoghurt, what about make your own smoothie from protein powders & milk? You can better control the ingredients that way. These things all pass. Just give yourself time to heal from the surgery & feel more comfortable & confident with the changes & how you’re managing them.