I'M NEW and I have questions..HELP

Hi everyone,

I cannot seem to get my profile picture on here, does anyone know how to do that? I have put other pictures in an album just fine but can't seem to get a profile picture in.

Next question is I am only one week post op, I kinda feel like I have lost my mind. This week has been very trying. Between the pain, not being able to do anything, not being able to eat or even have a cup of coffee. I am very emotional and dont know what to do my family just says it will get better but to me eveyday is prison. I just wondered if anyone else has gone through this feeling, this sort of depression after surgery. I guess when eating was so much a part of who you are and what you did, it just makes this part difficult. Any suggestions?

When you go to your Profile, click on "customize my profile" located under your "username Profile" on the left of the page. It will bring up the Profile Control Board - to the right of Profile, you will see "Change your Avatar", click on it. Here is where you can upload a picture, but the picture can only be 20K and in GIF or JPG format, also they should be 100 x 100 pixels.

I had my surgery on the 6th of this month, so I am in recovery, too. What are they having you ingest during this time? If they will let you have herbal tea, I found a great one - Tazo Mambo, an hibiscus tea that is very mellow and good tasting with a packet of Splenda. I use it like coffee. By the time it goes cold, I reheat it in the microwave and it helps me tolerate not having coffee.

I know right now is hard, but it does get better. Have you talked to your doctor about it? They may have something to help you with these feelings you are having. I've been there before and a good doctor can help.

Good luck and here's to us losers,
Vicki

thanks so much for responding, and I appreciate the advice. Where did you buy yout tea at, I really want to try it. I don't see my doctor until 9-10-08 but in the meantime i think i am going to attempt to find a good counselor that deals with these issues, know of anyone?

Good luck to you and your recovery as well.....stephanie

You can find the teas at Safeway, Fred Meyer's or Cost Plus (Keizer). Tazo's parent company is Starbucks. I was a coffee fanatic - 2 large mugs every morning, so I do know what you are going thru.

Even though you don't see your doctor until 9-10, you might call them and ask them if other patients have experienced it and what they did to help. There could also be a deficiency somewhere in your blood makeup. I know that I have to take potassium because of a deficiency and that has helped me.

Linda is right to also use the forum to ask others who may have gone thru the same problems you are having now.

There is a Salem Support Group (not affiliated with the Salem Hospital Bariatric Program) meeting this coming Wednesday @ 6:30. I will definitely be there and would love to meet you.

Take care,
Vicki

If you go up to Forums at the top of the page, and then select Main Board, you'l come to the Main support page.  Over on the left, in the light blue box (not sure why it doesn't show up in all the forums) is a link called Site/Forum Help.  If you click on that, there are tutorials on how to do all the cool stuff you need to know around here.

The first few weeks post-op are rough.  It is very common to get depressed.  Do the best you can to go out for walks, sip, sip, sip, etc.  By week three or four, the weight will start flying off, and you'll be able to eat more normal foods.  You will begin to feel better then.  I think I really started feeling well at about six weeks out.

Hang in there!

Linda

Linda,
Thank you so much for the encouragement. I like these forums because you actually talk to people who understand your feelings and what your going through. I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel but right now all i see is darkness ya know? I will continue doing my best, I do need to be better about walking, its just so painful right now. Once I start seeing the weight come off more drastictly I will probably have way more motivation. ONly one more wee****il I can have pureed foods..YAY!

Thanks again and Take care...Stephanie

Hello Stephanie!

I realize you posted this a couple of weeks ago, but I wanted to check in with you to see how you are doing and if you are still feeling very emotional.

Please know that this is VERY normal.  It often its at the 2-3 week mark.....so you were right on target!  Isn't THAT nice to know that your body was doing exactly what it should have been doing??

The reason for this is that right after surgery your body is fighting hard to heal from trauma.  Your emotional needs are suppressed as the body's main concern it preservation of the physical realm.  Once the body has a handle on recovery it frees itself to allow the emotions to come.

Getting the annesthesia out of your system is key as well.  It can sometimes take up to 3 months to rid the body completely.

I suspect too that you are right on track about emotional eating and your need to find someone at sometime in the future who can help you see this element clearly.  This doesn't need to be done right away, and frankly you MAY be better off to wait awhile until you have gotten through the initial surgical period.  You will be changing a lot over the next several months!!

Please feel free to contact me at any time!

Trisha Schnatterly
Been there.....done that!