Please help my new friends

[cristinka 0]

Hello to everyone there!

Is a long time since i read your posts here and Ive decided to write couse Im in trouble and i would use some help

Im 3weeks post op.I didnt have a lot of extra weight and thats why my surgeon said that he took a little more than a half of my stomach.the problem is that i feel i can eat anything and i did that a few times,i eat way more than i thought i would and im hungry way too often.i lost like 12 pounds in my first 2weeks but gained 3 back when i started to eat.Is it normal to be able to eat anything when im only 3weeks post op?please tell me about experiences

thank you so much!

[mila1013 0]

Hello to everyone there!

Is a long time since i read your posts here and Ive decided to write couse Im in trouble and i would use some help

Im 3weeks post op.I didnt have a lot of extra weight and thats why my surgeon said that he took a little more than a half of my stomach.the problem is that i feel i can eat anything and i did that a few times,i eat way more than i thought i would and im hungry way too often.i lost like 12 pounds in my first 2weeks but gained 3 back when i started to eat.Is it normal to be able to eat anything when im only 3weeks post op?please tell me about experiences

thank you so much!

Cristin

you didnt provide specifics so it is difficult to answer properly, "a lot of extra weight" can be a perception issue. You should not be able to eat anything because you are the tightest the first few months after surgery after a few months, some laxity will set it. I find it interesting and shocking that only 50% of your stomach was removed as all peer reviewed journals I have read document on a certain % being removed for a sleeve (more of the stomach is left if the DS will be done) only removing 50% of the stomach is a disservice to the patient and they will need to be resleeved. you are not talking about a difference of a few tablespoons here like bougie sizes 32Fr to 40Fr you are talking about 30% of your stomach still there, for what reason? if you are going to be sleeved that amount left is not proper (unless going to a DS) I will tell you I have read thousands of pages of peer reviewed journals have personally talked to 2 international experts and what you describe will have issues....others can chime in, hope you find your answer

MIla

[cristinka 0]

Dear MIia,Im so thankful for your time and answer,I am very worried actually and I find all you say true.I would be happy to get some more answers.Here is some data about myself.Im 21 years old,6.0 tall and before surgery i was 180lbs.I know I was not the right candidate for gastric sleeve but I wanted it bad so my surgeon worked with me.The only thing he said was the he removed less in my case,he estimated it at ''a little more'' than 50%.I was kind of ok with that as my goal was to lose about 40pounds.

Now the problem is that starting with second week eating was not a problem to me,and now when im exactly 3weeks post op i can eat anything,i had sushi yesterday,sweets and the amount of food I can get in its not small at all.

Im wondering what should I do,I can restrict myself ofcourse but that was what I was doing before surgery and then where is the sense.

Thank you so very much for everybody's help!!!

[breezy 8]

I'm at a loss at how to respond, too! I've never heard of a surgeon just trimming down your stomach a little because you're not too obese and just need to lose a little weight.

Ask your surgeon what size stomach you now have. That determines how much restriction you have. Let us know what he says. I'm curious if you've just mis-understood him, or if he really did just trim your stomach to "work with you".

[MINI-Me 196]

I'm at a loss as well. If you were 180 with a 6 foot frame, you were already in the "normal" BMI range. If you've lost 12 pounds, you are now at a BMI of 22.8. (Or at 9 pounds, 23.2)

Why would ANY surgeon do any type of weightloss surgery on you with those numbers?

[Donna4545 13]

Well, I think we can say your surgeon was irresponsible, but your main concern is your weight gain--well DUH stop eating sweets and whatever you want to! Get on a diet. You aren't restricted. Your stomach will stretch. Normal sleeve procedure is to remove 80% or more of your stomach, leaving the relatively un-stretchy part.

You are more like a regular person than a sleever, and there was no point to having your surgery. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it's the truth. Just get on an Atkins-type diet and start exercising. You aren't sleeved, you just have a small stomach which can and will stretch.

[cristinka 0]

Thanks for your post,its extremely sad what I see because I did that so as not to be able to eat that much and I cant see a big difference.Thats frustrating..I for sure try to restrict myself and eat right food but that mission its almost as hard as before the surgery.I can have at once like 5pieces of philadelphia roll and feel hungry again in an hour or two,Is still less that I was used to but not enough to have significant weight loss.I can stick on diet but is hard to do that all the time.

Anyway,I wish you all the very best and hope your progress is way better than mine!

[YOLANDA240 13]

Dear MIia,Im so thankful for your time and answer,I am very worried actually and I find all you say true.I would be happy to get some more answers.Here is some data about myself.Im 21 years old,6.0 tall and before surgery i was 180lbs.I know I was not the right candidate for gastric sleeve but I wanted it bad so my surgeon worked with me.The only thing he said was the he removed less in my case,he estimated it at ''a little more'' than 50%.I was kind of ok with that as my goal was to lose about 40pounds.

Now the problem is that starting with second week eating was not a problem to me,and now when im exactly 3weeks post op i can eat anything,i had sushi yesterday,sweets and the amount of food I can get in its not small at all.

Im wondering what should I do,I can restrict myself ofcourse but that was what I was doing before surgery and then where is the sense.

Thank you so very much for everybody's help!!!

I'm at a loss as well. If you were 180 with a 6 foot frame, you were already in the "normal" BMI range. Why would ANY surgeon do any type of weightloss surgery on you I'm curious.:thumbup1::confused1:

[Lisalu 89]

Cristinka,

I'm afraid I didn't understand your post. How tall are you in meters and how much did you weigh in Kilograms? I don't want a language barrier to keep me from understanding.

Thank you.

[cristinka 0]

hey,Im sorry if I was wrong in explaining.Im 182cm and before operation i was 82kg,now i have like 75.I know Im not a typical candidate but that was my choice.I always had problems with the quantity of the products I was eating,and If I would have continued I would have ended like my mom.Im sad now because I might not lose as I expected but I still hope to reach my goal!

Thanks you and lots of good luck!

[Lisalu 89]

Cristinka,

Wow, your BMI is under 25 now. If you lose 40 lbs, that would put you at a 19 BMI---very low normal. I don't think you could've found a doctor to operate on you in the U.S.

I lived in Germany during my teens. Teenagers there were much thinner than in the US and even though I had a healthy BMI, I felt fat. So if things are like that in Moldova, I can understand why you want to lose. Still, I don't believe it would be healthy.

I know that this may sound harsh, but I do not mean it to be. If I were your doctor, I might treat you for Body Dismorphic Disorder. I think you might be in danger of developing anorexia/bulima.

Take care.

[delawaregal 2]

Your weight and BMI were within the normal range and you are now in the 50th percentile, average. There is no way a doctor should have cut out your stomach just because you begged him to do it. There is nothing wrong with your body size and as a psychotherapist I agree with the previous poster. Please get some help to address your body image and do not try to lose another 40 lbs.

[Tiffykins 672]

As the weeks, months and years progress, your stomach will more than likely stretch because it sounds like the fundus wasn't fully dissected. You're going to be on a forced diet at this point because you chose to have surgery, and not address the eating habits that come along with losing a portion of the stomach. Just because a portion of your stomach has been removed doesn't mean it won't accept whatever you put in your mouth. That's half the battle with obesity, I understand it, but without the surgery being performed within the standards established by reputable surgeons with proven results, you'll struggle just the same if not more to lose and maintain your weight.

Also, if the fundus is not fully dissected, then the hunger hormone, ghrelin, will be produced more than what other sleeve patients experience. Unfortunately, statistics have shown that surgeons that use bigger bougies , leaving patients with larger stomachs have patients with a higher incidence of regain and hunger even after eating.

If you are not on an acid reducer such as Nexium or Prilosec, you may experience hunger after eating.

Try to stick to an Atkins diet, high Protein, low carb, and exercise is going to be your key at this point. If you can eat more, you can try the more frequent, smaller meals and see if that gives you satiety.

I'm assuming you self paid for this procedure, and unfortunately you may not reach your desired goal weight or see a regain in the future.

I don't have any solid advice except to invest your money in a gym membership, a nutritionist and a counselor to help you devise a healthy eating plan, exercise program, and some counseling to help develop other coping skills, and battle the food demons that most of us encounter on this journey.

Best wishes.

[cristinka 0]

Thank you Tiffykins

Im thankful for your advices,it does help.I wrote here because I saw people,most of them were full of compassion and understanding and I needed it in this period of my life.

I will refer now to those that said above that I might have a problem and even mentioned anorexia.My dear new friends(I hope you dont mind if I call you this way),if somebody's problem is not as big as yours,this doesnt mean its not a problem,In a few years,with my genes,I would have been where some of you are.I decided to prevent that.Its easy to judge and say it would have been easier to just stick on a healthy life diet but probably all of you understand how hard it is,because thats the reason we all decided to pass through this surgery.

I wish you all the best to all of you,great progress and lots of health!

[MINI-Me 196]

I apologize if we don't seem supportive. We are concerned about you and your health. I think we are all in shock to be honest with you.

This surgery is shown to be effective due to the removal of 85% of the stomach and the limits it has on food intake. By only removing 50%, you still have a lot of stomach left that can and most likely, will stretch. Also, I doubt enough stomach was removed to eliminate the grehlin. (Of course, I am not a medical professional - I am basing this on my personal experience and research.)

Having said that, have you talked to the surgeon to confirm your stomach size? Are you sure about what he removed vs left? What recommendations did he have for your nutrition and eating guidelines?

We don't mean to sound cold - we really are a supportive group. I just don't know how to support you without more information or understanding of your particular procedure. I really do wish you the best of luck. I'm sure this was a difficult decision for you - like many of us, we did not enter into this lightly. We all had our reasons. I was considered a "lightweight" at BMI of 32.8, but my surgeon agreed that it was just a matter of time before my situation got worse.