Regretting the sleeve so much and afraid I will die or have serious problems down the road

[KittyCathy22 73]

Im a 22 year old female who just got gastric sleeve surgery and am 2 weeks out. I feel like I rushed into this decision and regret everything wishing I had tried harder to lose the weight. I am now scared to death that im going to die either from not being to eat barely or will die young after having so many complications from getting 70% of my stomach removed and losing all those important hormones. Im so afraid of dying and want to still have kids and a happy life. The research online scares me so much. Also i read gastric bypass leaves ur stomach in unlike the sleeve that removes it. Someone please help me. This is consuming me everyday of my life

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[shrinkingkimber 200]

Im a 22 year old female who just got gastric sleeve surgery and am 2 weeks out. I feel like I rushed into this decision and regret everything wishing I had tried harder to lose the weight. I am now scared to death that im going to die either from not being to eat barely or will die young after having so many complications from getting 70% of my stomach removed and losing all those important hormones. Im so afraid of dying and want to still have kids and a happy life. The research online scares me so much. Also i read gastric bypass leaves ur stomach in unlike the sleeve that removes it. Someone please help me. This is consuming me everyday of my life

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I think you need to make an appointment with your surgeon. It sounds like there are lots of questions you should have asked him before hand that you didn't.

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[CBT 450]

I agree to follow up with your surgeon. In the meantime, make a list of concerns so you remember what to talk about but also so you can tell yourself to stop thinking about it all, it's written down.

Research and read only the positive outcomes of WLS. Stop scaring yourself. <3

Focus on what is going well for you and the reasons you want to improve your health and well being.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I am so sorry you are experiencing such distress. Many people go through a period of regret right after surgery for a variety of reasons: hormonal fluctuations, the shock of surgery on the system, the fact that you cannot use food to regulate moods and emotions, etc.

I would suggest that this is a good opportunity to look for a good counselor or therapist to help you learn to cope in a healthy way. See if the person who did your psych clearance can see you or refer you to someone.

Whether you want to or not, you cannot turn back the clock and change what happened. The good news is that you have no choice but to move forward: you get to decide how well you follow your program and learn to make the most of this opportunity.

[CBT 450]

I agree with ISG, buyer remorse appears to be super normal. Probably part of the forced change process. I remember having similar worries as did my many people sleeved around the same time in July, "my pack".

[Miss Mac 6,261]

It sounds like your bariatric team let you down by not informing you better about your options and consequences. Well, you can't undo your sleeve, so you may as well hop on for the ride.

The first month is tough. Not only are you healing, but your body which has been used to indulging itself, is now being told "no" or "let's find an option for that".

Hopefully your surgeon gave you a meal plan to follow that will graduate you from liquids, to purees, to soft mushies, to regular cooked food. For many of us that takes four to six weeks.

You will feel so much better when you start soft mushies and may start to get some energy back. The foods that you have to leave behind are the ones that really weren't food at all. Instead of nutrition for your mechanical human body that your soul lives in, you were probably eating mostly factory edibles made from highly processed ingredients.

Now you can focus on what it takes to keep a human being alive. You will find that the human body does not need nearly as much food as we thought it did to thrive from day to day. As the pounds drop off, you will feel more encouraged that maybe you did do the right thing and will have a better quality of life because of it.

Worry is a waste of time. Poo poo happens in this life, whether it is spraining an ankle or getting reflux, or something more tragic and heart-breaking.

Hang in there kiddo. You have already made it through two weeks and lived to tell about. Keep coming here for encouragement. I wish you good luck and good health.

[KristenLe 5,979]

@@KittyCathy22 I don't know how much you have to lose - but I'm assuming you were obese and that's why you had WLS. There are significant complications and health problems that go along with being obese. WLS is a huge step and scary to everyone - especially someone who has just started their adult life. Please know that it will get easier! Your life will be so so much better being a healthy weight. Think about all of the things you will be able to do - including have children and even grandchildren - and enjoy the time you spend with them. I'm 25 years older than you - and I feel like that time has been wasted. I never had children - and could not enjoy much of the last 25 years because of my weight. None of us know what life has in store for us in the future - so take a deep breath and just have fun!!!

Sending you a big hug!!!

~Kristen

[2goldengirl 2,076]

Im a 22 year old female who just got gastric sleeve surgery and am 2 weeks out. I feel like I rushed into this decision and regret everything wishing I had tried harder to lose the weight. I am now scared to death that im going to die either from not being to eat barely or will die young after having so many complications from getting 70% of my stomach removed and losing all those important hormones. Im so afraid of dying and want to still have kids and a happy life. The research online scares me so much. Also i read gastric bypass leaves ur stomach in unlike the sleeve that removes it. Someone please help me. This is consuming me everyday of my life

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You've really got yourself tied up in knots over all this. I'm sorry you're feeling so out of control.

You are not going to die because you're having a tough time in the early days. I couldn't keep anything at all down until I was a week postop, and nothing but Clear Liquids after that for another 10 days after that. I'm halfway between five and six weeks and I'm meeting Protein, Fluid, and calorie goals. Really.

You are not going to "die young after having so many complications from getting 70% of my stomach removed and losing all those important hormones." All what important hormones? The only hormone you're losing is ghrelin, the hormone that can lead to overeating.

Buyer's remorse is very, very, VERY common in the first month after surgery, especially for people who have a rougher time than others. I've observed from reading these boards that it's also very common in younger individuals with less life experience who may also have less understanding of how our bodies work. Lack of knowledge can really contribute to fear of the "what if's".

Don't let that derail you. If you haven't already been in touch with your surgeon about the trouble you're having, call. Now. I don't care if it's the weekend, there is always someone on call 24/7.

Hang in there. You can do this!

[swimbikerun 1,038]

I would agree to going back and talking with your surgeon. I don't agree with only reading good stuff. You will get yourself into bigger trouble by only looking at the good stuff and not taking a *BALANCED* look at the problems to learn from them to get something better for your outcome (learn from others) or protecting yourself or knowing what to expect from bumps in the road and how to minimize them as best you can.

I am wondering if most of this just isn't the normal "oh my" and that settles down. There are few birds that have problems like I do, but some of mine were already there, the surgery excerabated it. You can't tell before hand but problems are workable or solveable with the right team.

That is why the effort is made into picking the RIGHT team, not the one closest, or you "like" the surgeon.

[KittyCathy22 73]

Well this all started because I read an article that there is a human growth hormone in ur stomach that is taken out and causes you to age faster. Im unsure on this but it just worries me sick that I changed my anatomy even though i was 320 and kept gaining. I had dieted all my life and have been fat since i was 5 but my hairs falling out in clumps so its stressing me out even more..ugh

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[KristenLe 5,979]

I don't believe that is true about Ghrelin "hunger hormone". Your body still produces Ghrelin - just in lower quantities. Be sure to take your Vitamins, drink Water and have enough Protein. This will help with your mood as well as your Hair loss. hair loss is expected but it grows back! At 320 lbs - I think you made a great decision! Hopefully you'll think so soon!

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

KittyCathy.... i wouldn't worry about it too much.

Think of it this way.... you would already be aging faster beng 320... so you will actually notice people look and feel younger with weight loss.

This surgery has been done for years as the first step to another surgery and also has been used to treat some stomach cancers.... and i would think doctors would not do it on a mass scale if it has the potential to cause major issues down the track.

Was this article a medical journal article or is it potential hogwash from around the Internet?

[2goldengirl 2,076]

Relax your mind, human growth hormone (HGH) is produced and released from your pituitary gland, far, far from your stomach, no matter how much was removed.

[swimbikerun 1,038]

Have to agree. I only read medical journal, stuff from credible sources, sources that aren't crapped. Even then you can get a snooker or two. There are several lists I check that debunk garbage.

I do not watch TV, movies, etc. and that is to fill my mind with good things that will help me. Go to your doc or to credible sources. Medical research isn't that hard to read. You can do that and it will help you with any concerns.

[Andrea72 510]

Oh girl!!!! You remind me so much of myself just a week and a half ago. I was two weeks out, hating life, hating myself, hating all the professionals involved for not telling me what I was getting into.....i was an emotional wreck. Everyone is different, but I will tell you what I did that helped me. I stopped Googling, and I stopped watching all the you tube videos. There was one thing I read and this woman had only lost 20 pounds after the VSG and wish she had gotten the RNY. I was a terrified mess. What if I was going through all this, and I only loose 20 pounds?!?!? That's when I decided I had to stop. Once I realized this was my own unique journey, everything seemed to fall into place. I'll be 4 weeks out on Wednesday. I still have the stomach restriction, but it's not as much as it was at two weeks. I still have down days, but its no where near like it was when I was questioning my existence just days ago. It's tough. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done, but when I learned to stop comparing myself to everything I read, watched or heard....I was able to calm myself down and in turn accept the decision I made and why I made it in the first place. I do agree with everyone in saying you need to speak to your surgeon, or therapist, but my two biggest pieces of advice would be to stop reading all the crap, and to rely on this community. These people are FANTASTIC!!! BTW.....I did go back and read the ladies post that had only lost the 20 pounds. Turns out all she had been eating was cake, Cookies, ice cream and candy. I was so terrified at the thought of her only loosing 20 pounds that I didn't comprehend why. Well um, I don't care if you have VSG, RNY or whatever the heck else is out there. If you are going to eat crap, you aren't going to loose crap.

I know it's hard for you to see it now, but you got this. Just give it another week or two. I promise it will get easier.

Edited April 17, 2016 by Andrea72