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Two years ago from tomorrow I made the hardest decision of my life and got Bariatric surgery. This was one of the scariest days of my life. I had been on a three week long “fast” where I was only aloud to drink unflavored Protein Powder and chicken broth(I cheated a few times and had some milk). I remember waking up at 4am to head to the hospital where my surgery would take place. I didn’t feel scared, I didn’t feel anxious. I felt excited. Everything felt right. Although I had prepared myself as much as I could by reading literature, taking nutrition classes, and watching surgery videos, I had no idea what a huge challenge I would face. I knew the basics, I would get sick if I ate too much, I couldn’t have carbs, sugars or carbonation and it would take about 6 months to feel “normal” again, but nothing could have prepared me for the ups and downs that I would face.

We got to the hospital, got situated in my pre op room, I got changed into my hospital gown. It took 15 sticks to get the IV in me (not counting the additional 15 shot of lidocaine before placing the IV) at this point all I could focus on was the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to proceed with my surgery because my veins were so bad from being over weight and dehydrated. Once they got the IV into my vein, I don’t remember a whole lot because they put an anti anxiety “cocktail” into my IV. My mom said when they took me off to surgery I was smiling and excited.

My procedure went perfectly, it took about 2 and a half hours. When I woke up I had never been in so much pain in my life. I instantly got nauseated and started throwing up(stomach staples and vomiting really don’t mix. I remember looking around the room frantically for my mom. They wouldn’t let her come in because I wasn’t “stabilized” yet. The last thing I remember before them giving me a big dose of anti nausea and pain meds was wondering if I made a mistake.

Once I got to my in patient room all that I felt was relief that my mom was by my side.

I was in the hospital for five days before I was finally released. These five days were cake compared to what I was about to experience.

For those five days I couldn’t even keep Water down. I remember what a struggle it was to even take a shower, I was so embarrassed that I had to ask for help to bathe.

In order to be released I had to keep down 4 ounces of water for thirty minutes. My stomach was so small that I couldn’t do this, so me being stupid and just wanting to go home regretfully lied about the amount of water that I consumed and of course this was a huge mistake. I slept the whole four and a half hour ride home but as soon as we got back to Steamboat I was very ill. I remember my dad trying to help me take my anti nausea medication and I threw up all over his recliner chair. This night was the worst night yet. I couldn’t sleep because when I closed my eyes I got so sick. The only thing I can compare it to is getting the spins when you’re drunk. I knew in order to stay out of the hospital I had to keep fluids down but I just couldn’t. I threw everything up no matter how small the sip was. At this point I hadn’t eaten in days and was pretty weak.

The next day I decided that I wanted to leave my parents and go home.

I couldn’t even walk up my stairs to get to my bed without being winded and exhausted. At this point, I was a week post op and I had lost THIRTY pounds, and not in a healthy way.

It took two months and two ER visits to be able to go back to work or start to eat solid foods. I lost a lot of my hair and was learning how my new body worked. I knew what would make me sick and what wouldn’t. I began to eat 90 grams of Protein a day and tried to drink as much water as possible. I began getting in the routine of taking all of my Vitamins even.

Looking back now this all feels like a dream.

The most common misconception is that I took the easy way it. This is easy for people to say when they haven’t gone through what I have gone through. There are days that I am sitting down eating and I think, “I really wish I could eat and enjoy this whole meal.”

Something that no one can prepare you for is the body dysmorphia. I still see myself as that big girl. I wear leggings and think “I shouldn’t wear this” or “people are going to make fun of me for wearing this.” Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with an extreme sense of panic because I am so terrified that I’m going to gain weight. However, day by day I’m learning to love myself more. Learning to enjoy my new body, and most importantly, embrace my who I am and who I have become throughout this journey. I will never forget the day my life truly began, 1/11/16

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Wow! Congrats!!

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Nice work, Beautiful:)

There is nothing easy about what you accomplished.

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A very big congratulations to you; you put in the hard yards! You look amazing and I’m sure you feel amazing health-wise. Glad things stabilised for you over time. The psychological side of things is always the hardest. Congratulations again! Well done.


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Congratulations honey!!!! I'm 10 months out and hoping to make it to where you are.

HW 330
SW 292
CW 185
GW below 200

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You are an inspiration, seriously! And gorgeous. Thank you for sharing!


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12 hours ago, VSjrs said:

Something that no one can prepare you for is the body dysmorphia. I still see myself as that big girl. I wear leggings and think “I shouldn’t wear this” or “people are going to make fun of me for wearing this.”

That's something I struggle with as well. Although I have a ways to go yet, and despite losing 100+ pounds, because I still have the same "shape" there are days where I feel as big as I used to. I feel a million times better, but it's difficult to deal with at times.

Congrats on your progress & success!

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Amazing story! Thank you for sharing. You are beautiful!


SW 284
CW 205
GW 141 (Normal BMI)
SD March 2017

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    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

    • Clueless_girl

      How do you figure out what your ideal weight should be? I've had a figure in my head for years, but after 3 mths of recovery I'm already almost there. So maybe my goal should be lower?
      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

        I would use that as a starting point, and then just see how you feel as you lose. How you look and feel is more important than a number.

      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

    • Aunty Mamo

      Tomorrow marks two weeks since surgery day and while I'm feeling remarkably well and going about just about every normal activity, I did wind up with a surface abscess on on of my incision sights and was put on an antibiotic that made me so impacted that it took me more than two hours to eliminate yesterday and scared the hell out of me. Now there's Miralax in all my beverages that aren't Smooth Move tea. I cannot experience that again. I shouldn't have to take Ativan to go to the lady's. I really looking forward to my body getting with the program again. 
      I'm in day three of the "puree" stage of eating and despite the strange textures, all of the savory flavors seem decadent. 
      I timed this surgery so that I'd be recovering during my spring break. That was a good plan. Today is a state holiday and the final day of break. I feel really strong to return to school tomorrow. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
      For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs.
      For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel.
      Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs.
      Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps.
      It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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