Question:
why am i heavier?

i am almost a week postop. i have not yet ventured onto the scales but couldnt resist measuring myself to compare to pre surgery, imagine my horror when i found that i am bigger than before. i am woried i have done something wrong? can i still be swollen from all the fluids from hosp? has this happened to anyone else. i must admit that when i got dressed to come home i felt even fatter than before but i thought after a week this would have resolved. help please! thanks also to those who have supported me on this website. its a pity the english dont have the american warmth. there is very little support over here in the uk, so having access to this site has been a godsend.    — JULIE B. (posted on May 26, 2003)

May 26, 2003
Hi, have no fear!! I was also bigger than before surgery, but ended up losing 20 lbs in 20 days. All I did was "tinkle"! Keep drinking, because all the IV fluids you had will wash out. You're gonna be fine. Tomorrow, I'll be 6 months post op and I'm down 96 lbs, with 26 left to goal! You'll also come across plateaus where it seems you won't ever lose another pound, but don't worry about that! I was on a plateau for about a month or more, and all of a sudden, I lost 6 lbs in 5 days! Hang in there, don't worry about feeling a little bigger than before, cause it's gonna come off! Congratulations on your life-saving decision and I wish you the very best! Beverly
   — bevybrown

May 26, 2003
My surgery was May 14 and I came home feeling I was 10 months pregnant. I have not done any measurements, but I was so swollen. The nurse told me she had watched one of the surgeries and it is brutal. She said all of my insides were swollen, and all the iv fluid! You will be fine. I weighed more when I came home than when I left!
   — Sharon B.

May 26, 2003
NORMAL!! Its the fluids from the IV...it would be nice if the docs would tell ya bout that before you give yourself a heart attack, though...I almost had a heart attack when 5 days post-op I had gained 11 pounds!! Good thing is that by 2 weeks post-op, its all gone and then some..
   — Cindy R.

May 26, 2003
I was a lightweight when i had surgery, but came home with an extra 15 lbs.(about 7 Kg) It took about a week or so for the extra fluid to go away. I felt like the skin on my legs was two sizes too small! Don't worry - it will go away and take more weight with it!
   — koogy

May 27, 2003
Yes, it is from the IV fluids during the hospital stay. I came home 12 lbs heavier. I don't include those lbs in my loss though. take care! (5 wks - 34)
   — Diane S.