Six Weeks Post

[Kaze 94]

Hello!

So, if you've happened upon a post I've made before, I've made it no secret I'm a kidney transplant patient. It's the main reason I'm both pursuing and fretting the sleeve. On one hand, I need, need, need to lose weight to give this little bean the best possible circumstances it can have but I also have concerns regarding meds and fluids, but many people have reassured me in the department.

So my next, well hurdle if you can call it that, is my doctor.

Let me give a little background.

I'm 19 years old.

I've been going to this particular nephrology practice (at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO for those curious for whatever reason) since I moved to Missouri from Cali when I was like 18 months old.

I was born with chronic renal failure secondary to posterior urethral valves.

It wasn't until 2010 that I finally had to go on dialysis about a month after my fourteenth birthday.

Since then until June of 2013, I had battled to be put on the transplant list and for a majority of circumstances, my weight was the biggest inhibitor. My doctor has always been skeptical about my persistence. I'd suggested the Lap-Band about two years into dialysis and he shot me down...and hey, at 16 what could I do?

Later on down the line, I got my transplant after getting sick and losing 25 pounds (only time I've ever lost a large amount of weight).

Skip a year and I was suggesting it again. I was 18 at the time and he was still super skeptical, but he finally heard me out (well kind of). I asked him to give me his suggestions for places to go. His suggestion, which took well over six months to get to me, was a program that was now defunct. Lol he tried.

So I personally sought out Saint Luke's myself.

Cut to March of this year, I was diagnosed with diabetes and most of my doctors actually REASSURED me that weight loss surgery would be good! A few months prior an hepatic endocrinologist wanted to see me to discuss elevated liver enzymes indicating possible fatty liver tissue. He was the first one to go "Uhm, that's actually a really good idea???" and he was shocked to hear when I told him I'd been suggesting it for some time and didn't get the support I needed. He's the one who pushed my doctor into the right direction.

Now, to get to the point of this

My surgery is happening on Tuesday. A three year battle is coming to an end, albeit with one detail changed (not Lap Band but sleeve ).

On August 9th I have my next follow up with my renal doctor (3rd with my Endocrinologist).

That's about a month and a half and a smidgen.

I'm not looking for concrete estimates as I know everyone is different, but I'd love to know your experiences. At about 6 weeks post op, how much weight had you lost? I'm hoping I can kind of wow my doctor and (respectfully) tell him "I told you so".

[eclecticwingtips 130]

I am 6 weeks out and im down 13kg. But id lost 27kg pre op as well. So 40kg total (88lbs)

But i had a high start weight so that can definately imoact on speed of loss

Edited June 19, 2016 by eclecticwingtips

[Kaze 94]

I am 6 weeks out and im down 13kg. But id lost 27kg pre op as well. So 40kg total (88lbs)

But i had a high start weight so that can definately imoact on speed of loss

Hey, I'd be happy to lose ~20lbs (10kg) by my appointment. It'd be about as much as I've ever lost on my own trying for months and months.

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

Hey Kaze.... at 6 weeks i had lost 28 pounds... but i am considered a "lightweight" so weightloss is slower

But it also depends on your starting weight, age, metabolism, how long you have been yoyo dieting etc.

I am assuming you are on the pre op diet now if your surgery is on Tuesday .... how much have you lost so far? What is starting weight?

[Kaze 94]

@ Starting weight, or at least the weight on the day of my pre-op class was 297 lbs or ~135kg. I'm not sure if I've lost anything, my scale is kind of fidgety. I'll update my weight when I go in Tuesday, haha. My scale says I've gained and then it says I'm the same and then lost then back to gained. It's kind of annoying because I'll go in all defeated because it's telling me I've gained substantial weight and get on a medical scale and I've lost a few pounds from the last recorded weight...throws me for a loop all the time.

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

Well at 135kg... i would assume you would lose a substantial amount of weight post op.

If i, as an ex bander with a confirmed screwed up metabolism can lose that much... as a virgin sleever i do not see why you won't...

Yeah scales are terrible... mine were very finicky... if you move it a couple of inches to the right... it changes my weight a couple of pounds..

How are your clothes feeling? Have you/will you take measurements?

But i will say .... in the grand scheme of things... its a number on a scale... what matters most is getting physically, emotionally and mentally healthier. That is what matters most.... but it would feel great to prove your point to that doctor...

[Kaze 94]

@ Well, I have this weird feeling...well let me start off with saying my weight has been relatively stable for a long time, which is a feat for me. I habitually gained 10-20 pounds every year. But since being so stable, I've developed this feeling of...satiety when I've only taken a few bites of something and it's a bad feeling...like that I've gained weight and it feels hefty...despite being probably the only thing I put in my body that day besides Water.

So for the past few days while on my pre-op diet, I have been getting that with significantly less food. A bowl of oatmeal (I'd say roughly 2/3 of a cup?) did me in yesterday (which isn't technically on my pre-op, but I added Protein powder to it to be a little more responsible).

Needless to say, I've been having that feeling every time I eat something so for the last day I'm just going to do Protein shakes and Isopure tomorrow as directed.

I don't really notice a lot with my clothes because I always buy several sizes larger...I like baggy clothes (partly comfort, partly body image issues xD).

Afterwards I might take measurements. My case nurse actually suggested it and gave a sheet with different areas of the body and blank spaces to jot down. I might give it a try.

I've got this app I want to track my weight in and I had intended my next weight input to be day of surgery on Tuesday, so we'll find out what ha-happened.

I think once I know I'm loosing weight, I'll trust my junky scale...at least it can give me an idea of the trend if not exact weight. But right now I just don't trust it. xD

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

I know this will be an odd question.... but is your breath stinky?

If so, and you are getting full from having a few bite, you are probably in ketosis, which is exactly where you want to be at this stage.

In regards to tracking.... i would download myfitnesspal... track your food, Water and weight through there... it keeps you accountable.

In regards to scales... there are 3 types of people post surgery... type 1... who don't care about the numbers too much..but weigh weekly or monthly.. but don't obsess

type 2... who weigh every day to keep themselves on track (this turned into obsession for me, and with my already damaged ego, i decided to back off to save my sanity)

Type 3... the follow up appt weigher

If you choose to be a type 1 or 2... buy yourself a new scale... because having an unreliable one will only do your head in...

My personal advice though... if you currently have body image issues or you are self critical or have too much pressure on you to lose weight... i would suggest option 1... it really can get out of hand and manifest into a very unhealthy relationship with your scale and food

[Kaze 94]

@AussieGirl8 I don't notice, tbh about the breath thing. It seems normal to me. I've taken to brushing more than I used to, so... lol.

I had planned on being type 1. Weighing in every Saturday or so. Only track it once a week.

I've got Fit Journey.

Can't track Water or food on it (unless I make it a "comment"). I'll probably either do that or find something better. My dad has good advice and that's why I like this app, but he says I should "track the trend". I shouldn't care about the numbers as long as the trend is generally going down. This one just shows a very simple graph and I like it for that.

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

Well myfitnesspal has that graph too, and you can track your calories and Protein, fat, carbs etc... you just input your meal and it calculates it for you.

For me i use it to monitor what i am doing and too look at why i am stalling... eg too low calories.. not enough Protein or Water etc

Your dad is a wise man... as long as the weight is going down... thats a win for you... Celebrate the small victories... the reep large results long term

I am really excited for you... i feel like you are going to do wonderfully and because you are so young you have so many positives on your side... keep me up to date with your progress... and feel free to ask anything... nothing is off limits

[Kaze 94]

@ Will do! Thank you so much for being so supportive and informative! I feel like I can count on you to chirp in some advice when I have a forum question now.

I'll try myFitnesspal again, I didn't like it first time around.

[NeedaBreak4Me 1,755]

i am to please.... no really its because i like hearing my own voice... so really you are doing me a favour hehehe ????

[ButterflySeoul 98]

I'm not looking for concrete estimates as I know everyone is different, but I'd love to know your experiences. At about 6 weeks post op, how much weight had you lost? I'm hoping I can kind of wow my doctor and (respectfully) tell him "I told you so".

It really does vary so much-- from person to person.. but I was sleeved on April 26.. morning of surgery I weighed 251 and week 6 I was at 231... that was with the dreaded week 3 stall.. I'm losing again and now at 227. I would HIGHLY recommend measuring yourself before surgery (before you're pumped up with IV fluids and gas, and any swelling from surgery) so you'll have an accurate starting point.. then just tuck those measurements away. Then when you aren't seeing activity on the scale, or don't think you're losing, bring those numbers out and re-measure. It's a great thing to see those inches disappearing and Celebrate those non-scale victories. I have a fit-bit so I use that to track my weight loss and to keep myself motivated and challenged to keep moving. For my liquids and protein/food I track that in a journal. The first 6 weeks I used sheets that I had gotten from my bariatric team with the diet guidelines and tracked everything on those (just kept making more blank copies) so I could bring them with me to my first post-op follow up with the nutritionist. Best of luck!

[Wolfgirl78 266]

Looking back on my records I lost 37lbs 6 weeks post op

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@Kaze

24lbs

Also my diabetes was basically gone. I was able to control my diabetes with diet and just pills before, and if I went ultra low carb, just diet only. So the small portions and not carbs just ended my diabetes, then as the weight has came off it has stayed gone. Just losing 10% of your weight can make a huge difference.