Surgery Success Story

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It has taken me well over 6 months to come on here to discuss my surgery and any feelings about weight. I stared off over 240 pounds, only 60 pounds off from being an even 300. That is when I started pushing for my surgery all over again. I had tried and tried year after year before, but kept getting,denied by doctors. It wasn't only frustrating, but caused more and more depression than I wanted. When I finally did get approved, I thought that I wasn't hearing things right. I had tried for over 10 years to make this happen, and it finally was in the process of happening. We celebrated, set a date, and I counted down the days until I would walk into the hospital a bundle full of nerves, but walk out a completely changed human being with a whole new outlook on life. I never thought that I could be so nauseated just by the smell of something. The first day is definitely the hardest. Just the slightest smells and you are automatically nauseated. I'm already a picker eater, so my surgery only added to not being able to tolerate even more. I was put with a roommate, one who didn't have the surgery, and so they could eat whatever they wanted. Wouldn't you know it, the very next morning, she had a full breakfast brought in: eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls, those were the only smells that I could make out...Keep in mind that I had my surgery in just less than 24 hours. The last thing on earth that I wanted to smell was eggs along with bacon. I can't stand either one of them, and so you guys can probably guess what happened next. I would get completely nauseated over every little thing, and was going out of my mind not being able to actually eat. The liquid diet was such torture to me that I couldn't stop crying sometimes I was so frustrated. Almost 2 months of that, and I had to stay on longer than I wanted to cause of being nauseated every time I had to eat. It wasn't even a month, and I was back in the hospital. This time it was for kidney stones. The doctors told me that kidney stones were common with the weight loss surgery, and would happen when you least expected them. Has anyone else had problems with kidney stones? I was just admitted in the hospital for a couple days, given medications, and was then sent home. didn't think anymore about it. Now it has been about 8 months, and kidney stones have come back again, several this time. I'm going in for emergency surgery tomorrow because of this and they keep reoccurring. One would think that I would be angry and frustrated that I keep having other problems come up, but actually I'm not. I got my surgery of a lifetime. A surgery that no one can take away from me, and that is changing my life forever. I was very well informed, and understood completely about the complications, risks, hardships, and forever life style changes that went along with before, during and after having weight loss surgery. (I had the lap band by the way.) I know that I will always have complications over something related to the surgery, but it is just something that I'm trying to learn to live with. Also, I wanted to just mention to anyone who has and who is going to or trying to have this surgery, that it really is worth it. True, the first 6 months are the hardest, but once you get past them it becomes so much easier and you stress less and worry less. It really does help to have others to talk with about this procedure and the feelings and frustrations that you are facing. My biggest problem was and still is that I couldn't tell a single person in my family. Not one. I really didn't want to hear them lecturing me about how I didn't need to be doing that to my body, how I didn't need weight loss surgery, that I'm "just fine, and it was all in my head," and I didn't want to be the topic of a phone or dinner conversation. The only ones who knew or who I actually told was the doctors, my husband, a few friends, the ones I had to go to get approval from, and the few support groups that were torture for me to show up to. So the only ones who, I really have to turn to for support that actually understand all these feelings and what I'm talking about is this online support group. I still won't go to meetings and support groups here in the community cause I don't think that I'll ever be able to talk about food or weight issues ever again I don't care how much weight I lose. Now it's almost been a year. I can't believe how fast it's gone. I'm able to start introducing foods again that I haven't been able to have since last year, and there are foods that I had before that I can't even stand looking at now. I was a huuuuuggggeee soda drinker. Dr. Pepper. Every single day at least 4 times a day I would have a pop in my hand or nearby where I could reach it. I had cheese at almost every meal. Fast food was almost daily. Junk food snacks were a must, and eating whatever I wanted without thinking about the consequences never seemed to bother me. Now, I've cut out pop completely since you can't have anything carbonated, can't stand cheese, I try and have it melted, but I can't stand the whole chunk cheese that you have to slice off. Cut out fast food, junk food, and am a whole lot more careful now on anything I eat. Are the cravings still there? of course. Once you get over your most difficult stages, then you can start having foods again in moderation that you couldn't have and it really does help control those cravings. When I got on the scale just to see where I was concerning weight, I had a huge eye opening experience. I was 240 pounds, and right before my surgery, I had managed to drop down to 220. You drop weight very rapidly at first after the surgery, and then it slows way down. I've been losing 10 pounds every month since the beginning of this year. You do come to "road blocks" as doctors refer  to it as, when you don't lose any weight at all, because it slows down so much. Then it picks back up, and you are losing weightagain no problem. I've now lost over 100 pounds, and am almost at my goal weight according to my surgeon, but I still want to keep going for me. I went from a size 18/20 and now I'm a size 6, soon to be a size 4. I can hardly believe it myself, and it actually makes me tear up. I've dropped so much weight that I'm freezing cold so much easier now, even in the summer. I have to wear gloves indoors sometimes, and I'm so cold my teeth even start chattering. My doctor says its all normal from all the changes that I are going through. I still don't want to eat very much, and other times I just don't want to eat at all but know that I have to. The nutritionist told me that the shakes really are high in calcium and can build up calcium deposits which of course cause the kidney stones. We all know how much the doctors push protein, so I was told to get the shakes called Premium Protein which have 30g of protein each. I've had nothing buy problems with these since I've started them, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramping, since I have an issue with dairy. Won't touch red meat, so I have to look for other ways to get protein. The RN told me there is a vegan shake out there you can order called Shakeology. So now I'm considering trying this and giving up all the other ones I've been having to force myself to choke down. I'm just so thankful that I've almost made it to my one year mark. All the disgusting experiences are behind me. It's great to have this support group to have others to relate to. Congrats everyone, and best wishes to anyone else who is in the process of trying to make their surgery happen. You really have to just keep at it if you want it to happen. It's an amazing feeling that is just indescribable. Always remember that You Are Worth It!!

Just a posting tip---it's easier to read your posts if you break it up into paragraphs. I simply couldn't read this.

Genepro http://www.musclegen.net/ .... this is oderless and tasteless and does not clump.  You can add it to hot or cold....or just sprinkle over your food.  This stuff is great.  One tablespoon equals a scoop of Whey and has 30grams of protein.  It is approved by John Hopkins and has 96% absorbtion.  You can also order it from Amazon.  I go by every morning to a Herbalife shake shop....get a Chunky Monkey (35 grams of protein).....add a scoop of Genepro (30 grams of protein)....mid morning I fix a Crystal Light and add another scoop.....I already have 95 grams for the day!!!

I sincerely hope the lapband works out for you, I don't know anyone who still has one placed, all were revised to another surgery,  due to all the issues they cause.

I have my band after 5 years, 2 months ......maintaining 120 of a 130 pound loss overall.

I don't push the band on others, but it continues  to work for me.

The last person I knew with one left in just had to have hers removed do to severe complications with it eroding her stomach, she revised to rny, she had kept her weight off. Her surgery was in 2008.  Good luck.

Thank you, Heidi.

I used to think about "if" I lost my band and now I think about "when" I will lose it.

I contribute the annual max to my HSA and get an employer match, to help me pay for a revision when the time comes.

I was self pay to put the band in, expect to be self pay when it has to come out.