1 WEEK POST OP LOTS OF QUES / MINOR PROBLEMS PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

First I want to thank everyone *****ads my crazy long posts and reply's it means the world to me every time I get a response!!!!! Second I read allot before I decided to do this surgery but then had to fight for four years and I bought a new book wls for dummies but before I could refresh my self I was approved for surgery and on the table so please dont take this post as ignorance I know what I am supposed to do and not do and since the min I walked out hosp I have been following the rules but I feel maybe my pouch didnt take and its still my reg stomach in there???? I AM NOT CRAZY JUST REALLY SCARED AND CONFUSED HELP READ BELOW AND YOU CAN CALL ME (EMAIL ME FIRST [email protected]) or just post reply or personally email me I will be checking this all day to see what replys I get HERE IS MY STORY.......................... HELP PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS AND ANSWER AS MANY ?'S AS YOU CAN,,, I had my open done a week ago yesterday 2/21/2006. AT Henry Ford Bi-County. I was there from tuesday to sat at 1:00pm I did not have any complications with surgery just had trouble getting pain from incision and two drain tubes under countrol . I came home feeling good but really sore it hurt to get up and down off bed, from chairs and couches and even lazy boy. I am still exp pain at the bigger jp drain spot even though the dr removed it monday 2/27 he said staples needed to stay in longer and the original appt I had he could not see me he will be out of office that day. Does that seem too long to go with staples in? There are no jp tubes just the staples but the area where the big jp was that he just removed monday is hurting and green ooze was on the gauze once tonight when I went to change gauze. Dr Pesta is the bomb he told me again everything looked great and according to his electronic scale and the one at the hosp I used sat before I left said 356 pesta's scale said 348 thats 8 lbs in three days sat sun to mon afternoon. Well now my legs feet and ankles are swolllen and the left is so swollen I cannot bend it or my toes again I contacted my dr and diab my new internist I met a bi county they both said that is fine just take lasix . I took two doses and the left leg went down and now is bigger than this morning???? Any body ever deal with this before ?? I have had edema for years and years but all I usually do is drink a lot of water and take my water pills (lasix andk-dur) I am also exp cravings for my fav foods and getting upset thinking I made a mistake I am mad for being mad I have fought for this surgery too hard to mess up now. My mom is helping me by making me oat meal and blending it then 4oz of protein shake in between with pre made shake, added dry milk and added proten powder. So why am I greiving food I cant have and I am not even hugry ?????? HELP I AM SO CONFUSED IS THIS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR POST OP EMOTIONAL EATERS??? I need some advice I came home after going with my bf to pick him up wendy's and my mom Taco bell (lent is tomorrow she gives up fast food/sweets) and I started crying that all I wanted was a soft taco and my mom got mad. I want to be healthy I want to live past 40, I dont want to be paralyzed from my spine. Ok Its 5:22am and I have not been to bed before 4:30am the last three nights in a row. I am a fighter whow always gets what she strives for weight loss has been my one loosing battle I did all the research and I didnt eat any fast food since 2/2/06 and then for a week and a half before surgery I was sick and only ate two out of ten days and that was very little food. I feel like the pouch is not working that I am not getting full after a few bites of soup??? Isnt that supposed to happen Or is that when I get to pureed and solid foods cause it seems like I can have alll the liquid I want and dont get full I dont pu**** I just eat til I think I should be full and stop. Help I have all these questions I hope some one will take their time read these and answer all of them. Confused and Scared in Clinton twp I have been walking alot walked around walmart for three hours, cvs for two the day before and three stores tonight. I walk around inside house a lot. I have been giving my self shots 2 a day taking dilodaud , and prilosec and checking my sugar and taking meds I was told to take for now. OK I hope to get some help I dont see pesta again till next monday and hate to keep callling there I called the last two days with questions. HUGS XOOXOXOXO I REALLY APRICIATE ALL OF YOU ON THIS BOARD !!!!!!!!! YOU ALL MEAN THE WORLD. GOD BLESS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANGIE PASCHALL :crazy :cazy: POST OP 2/21/06 356 (2/25 ) 348 (2/27)

Angie honey...... This is indeed normal. By that I mean the missing foods and craving them. You are so early out and this new "tool" you have is still healing as is your mind. Give yourself a break my dear. Also please DON'T stop asking your questions. That is what we are all here for. To support each other. Part of all this head-stuff going on is hormonal. I was told hormones are stored in the fat cells and as we lose we will get all sorts of crazy hormonal issues going on. My goodness! My doc even told me I could possibly start having periods again even though I am post-menopausal. (Thank the Lord that hasn't happened though) Also try to get more sleep as sleep depravation does all sorts of crazy things to our heads. Plus you are using diluadid for pain. That is one powerful drug and can do things to your head too. So again I stress to you, try and relax and give yourself a break emotionally. This too shall pass. Wishing you nothing but the best.. Patt PS Do keep a very close eye on that edema and call your doc every 15 minutes if you have to as you well know diabetes is nothing to play with or ignore.

Dear Angie, While reading your story it brought back alot of the questions I had when I was one week out of surgery. First let me tell you it's so normal to have lots of questions and anxieties. I did alot of research on WLS before I had it done, thought I had all the information I needed and yet after the surgery I was terrified and felt I didn't know much at all. I didn't experience the edema you have but you probably should keep a close watch on that. I was diabetic (oral meds.) and had a lot of trouble getting it under control after surgery. It finally stabilized and I'm now off my meds for it. I was so scared of losing a foot to this illness that it was a big factor in opting for the surgery. Before your surgery did you use food as a source of comfort? IF so, that may be why you are grieving for food now. We use food for so many reasons in our lives. If we're sad it's comforting, if we're happy we use it to celebrate, etc. You experiencing so many changes right now both emotionally and physically that you may be feeling like you're missing that "comfort" food. I couldn't tell whether I felt full or just thought I was. People kept telling me not to over eat and to stop as soon as I felt full. Problem was I didn't know if I was full. I just kept to small frequent meals, high protein and lots of liquids. When I was about 5-6 weeks out I found that my taste buds had changed and I no longer wanted the foods I used to love. As the weight starts melting off one of the things that kept me striving to eat all the right things and not miss all that I couldn't have was the thought of how all those foods were responsible for the presurgerical mess I was in physically. I vowed to never let food control my life again, I would control it! I had a good support group that kept encouraging me and telling me how they noticed changes every day. After all that I do have times that I wish I could make a big Sunday dinner and just enjoy eating all of it. I think that's normal. It's the old me thinking. I still do make big Sunday dinners and I have my dinner on a saucer with a small tablespoon of what I like. I sit down to eat and find that one taste of those foods is enough. I have also experienced two periods where I had no weight loses and immediately thought, "Oh no!! Here's another weight loss gimmick that isn't working!" When I talked to the doctor he asked a lot of questions and his findings where that I wasn't eating enough. I went through a time where food just didn't appeal to me. As soon as I bumped up my calories with high protein foods I started losing it again. I guess the bottom line is we're all going through A LOT of changes. We all react differently. But you know, it's all OK, it's all NORMAL! I hope this helps you in some small way and if you'd like to talk more about it you can email me at [email protected]. I would be happy to talk about the changes you're going through week by week. As the previous girl said "Give yourself a break, keep your spirits up and stay on the path of this terrific journey" Keep in touch, Luann PS I'm from the thumb area of Michigan...

Angie....first of all ((((((((BIG HUGS)))))))) to you my dear!!! I think we've all experienced at least SOME of what you are going through!!! FOOD was such a big part of our lives prior to surgery that I think it is normal to go through a "grieving process" of sorts!!! You are greiving the loss of something!! That's not to say you'll never be able to eat the things you used to...it will just be in MUCH smaller quantities!!! The day after my surgery...I was no where near hungry and I wanted a cheeseburger so bad...it was the craziest thing!!! It was then that I started to realize just how much of my eating prior to surgery was "mental hunger"!! What you are feeling is completely normal!! I can't speak on the swelling of your legs/feet...although I do recall that mine did swell up but not too, too bad and it didn't last for too long!!! I hope you are able to get that under control!!! Are you on pureed foods yet? I tell this over and over to anyone who asks...what saved me BIG time when I was where you are is Wendy's Chili...I would get a 99cent chili (I'd actually buy 2 at a time) I'd puree it in the blender and 1/2 of it would be my lunch and 1/2 of it would be my dinner!! I always bought two so I had it on hand when I needed it!!! The other thing that helped was the pintos and cheese from taco bell!! I practically lived on those two things for a while after surgery!!! And I can't even begin to tell you how many times I was SOOOOO angry at myself for having this surgery!!! I couldn't believe I actually did and what the hell was I thinking!!! But today...6 months later....I would do it again in heartbeat!!! This too shall pass my friend!!!! Hang in there....keep your chin up...get your rest, do your walking and sip tha****er!!!! Don't worry about calling Pesta's office too much...that is what they are there for!!! And know that we are always here for ya too if you just need to vent or ask questions...whatever!!! You can email me if you want to at [email protected]!! Hugs, Cheryl