Regret? Also some TMI lady questions

Well hello all my happy shiny sleevers. Today I am 5 days post op and I am wondering about regret. I don't personally feel any, and I am wondering if it's something that happens to everyone or just most people? Because the way I understood it, it was something that happened right away after surgery like when you wake up in recovery you have "buyer remorse" or "what did I do to myself" feelings. I'm not sure if it could happen later down the road?

I did wake up in a lot of pain (it felt like the worst heartburn of my life mixed with a lot of pressure near my breast bone) but no regret. In fact even though I was in pain I woke up super happy/excited for the new chapter in my life. While recovery was miserable for a day or two (I had bad gas pains) I feel like I was very blessed in that I got to go home day after surgery, because I was up walking so much (the nurses said I did enough laps to equal two miles after I got up to my room from recovery), and was able to get in 16oz of water within about 4 hours after they first gave me water (about 5:30am on day after surgery) which is more than my surgeon expected.

I know everyone's surgical experience is different, I have a girlfriend who had he surgery yesterday and cannot even pee by herself and can't stop puking, but I am wondering if a bad surgical experience is what drives the regret or "buyers remorse". 

**Point number two I want to address is female related so men may want to stop reading here.**

So my sleeved ladies who are still menstruating did surgery jump start your period? What about pre-op diet did that do anything weird to your cycle? My period is usually irregular but it normally still only occurs once a month I just never know when in the month it will occur and the heaviness changes from month to month.

But since I gave up caffeine and liquid calories and started drinking way more water about 6-7 weeks pre-op,  then started my 4 week pre-op, and then my 2 week pre-op, I've have about 3 periods in that time.

So I bled for about 5 days during the "gave up caffeine and liquid calories" time,  then it stopped until the 4 week pre-op point, but when I went onto the modified (4 shakes a day one solid meal a day) 4 week pre-op diet. I bled for about 4 days and then stopped until I hit 2 week pre-op full liquid I bled about 4 days it stopped until the day of surgery. Then day of surgery it started again and since then (12/17/15) I've been bleeding.

It's really irregular; like one day I will need super plus absorbancy tampons and then the next day it looks like the old brown blood (like at the end of your cycle) and all I need in a panty liner. Then it will get super heavy again. I can't get on birth control until at least (1/21/16) because that is the next appointment I have with my PCP.

I just need it to control my periods I am not sexually active but if I became so I know I need to be on at least 2 forms of birth control because you become very fertile once you start losing weight. I am just at my wits end with bleeding and wondering is anyone has any advice. Also any recommendations for the pill? I can't have an IUD because I had one reject in my life previously and I don't want to do depo shots or nuva ring (because of weight gain it can cause) I just want a pill.

Congrats on your surgery! I was sleeved in October and am 11 weeks  out now. I had a little remorse, mostly at first because I felt like I was never going to be able to eat normal food again. But that is all part of the mental surgery that needs to be done. Needless to say I feel much better now. And I am able to eat small amounts of most things. 

As far as the mental question. The surgery did throw off my cycle. I didn't have any pre op diet but I did start my period the day after surgery and then again 2 weeks later. By the 2nd month I was back to normal. 

Your body has been through major trauma so it will take some time to normalize again. Good luck in your journey!

Laura

Thank you Laura! I appreciate your reply. I don't think it's bad to have buyers remorse I just never had it and I am usually a pretty anxious person who double thinks her decisions so I was for sure I would have it. Merry Christmas or happy holidays depending on what you celebrate!

Estrogen is stored in fat cells, so your hormones go a bit funky when you lose a lot of weight. It seems like many women have weird period-ish bleeding soon after surgery; I had spotting for two weeks, even though I had an IUD and hadn't had a period in years!

Things should settle down in a few weeks, but if you're concerned (or you're still spotting, say, a month after surgery), you should absolutely contact your gyno.

There are several versions of the pill with different hormone levels. Most of them have the warning for weight gain and AFAIK none is much better than the others. I've had good luck with some (ortho-novum), horrible luck with others (nuva-ring gave me panic attacks), it varies a lot. Best to go to the expert doctor for advice.

I forgot about estrogen being stored in fat cells though I know my surgical team told me. Thank you for your insight and Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays depending on what you celebrate!

When I was banded I cried all day about 3 days after surgery.  That was buyers remorse!  This time, having the band out and revising to the sleeve, there was no remorse.  I was happy to have it gone and have one last shot at losing this weight.  Things have gone well for me this past month so I'm happy!

I agree with Julie, if things with your cycle continue to be erratic, see your gyno.  There could be many reasons why it's acting the way it is. 

Good Luck!

Hi Karen. I am sorry to hear about your bad experience with the Lap band (I've heard a lot of horror stories which kept me from it) and glad you got a second chance with the band! Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays depending on what you celebrate! 

I had not one day of regret after my VSG - but then again, I didn't have any complications either that would have made me re-think the whole thing. 

I can't address the rest of your post because I'm a post-menopausal old lady 

Age is just a number Tracy. I plan on never getting old! haha. I'm glad you didn't have regret either. Also I am jealous somewhat because while I want a baby I can't wait until I stop bleeding for good. Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays depending on what you celebrate!

Re buyer's remorse: At 5 days post-op, my world still seemed happy and shiny. Then I made some boneheaded mistakes -- not drinking enough water and not exercising. By six weeks post-op, after two visits to the ER because of dehydration, I was sure the surgery was the biggest mistake of my life. It wasn't, of course, and after I recovered, all was well again. 

If your recovery continues uneventfully, you may not have any buyer's remorse. It's when complications set in and make you feel miserable that you begin to question the wisdom of having surgery. If that happens to you, however miserable you may feel, know this -- it's temporary, you will recover, and you'll enjoy your new healthy life in very short order.

Re TMI lady info: Can't help you there. I'm an old parrot and don't have those problems anymore.

psychoticparrot