Obesity Surgery WP Blog

I have been thru this hole ordeal of getting approved and I even got
a surgery date, but 2 weeks later I got a positive pregnancy test. So
I canceled my surgery and was trying to deal with the disappointment
of not being thinner this year, and everyones words or wisdom to me
were the surgery wasnt meant to be at this time or this is a sign not
to have the surgery, so I was accepting “lifes” will and was trying
to get happy about being fat and pregnant again. and then this week I
had a miscarriage actually the baby died and had to be surgically
removed. so now I am confused if the baby was meant to be and the
surgery wasnt- fine! but now the baby wasnt meant to be, so does this
now mean the surgery is meant to be or should I start fresh and
rethink this whole thing? has anyone else been thru this and what
choice did you make? My family is now more scared for me to have the
WLS especially my kids, they think I should just try to diet and
excercise the old fashion way. because the second I found out I was
(more…)

Ok, I just saw my PCP after bloodwork and complaints of incredible weakness,
atonic bowels, etc. I’ve been MISERABLE for the last month because of this.
She assessed the blood results and came up with an eating schedule for me
since it appears I am terribly malnourished. She’s right, too. I *don’t* eat
enough. And the weaker I get, the less appetite I have. Apparently the body
went into an anorexic state. I’ve lost at least 100 lbs. about 11 weeks post
op and have had real trouble with food: no appetite, not able to eat etc. So I
now have a schedule and the second day into it I am feeling a bit better. BTW
it was an ordeal to leave my condo to even go see her–I had to have an
assistant! (There’s a set of stairs to the ground floor and believe me, that
scared me.) I have a physical therapist to come in from the VNA to get me up
to “baseline” conditioning (he’s due here this morning, second visit) and with
that, taking my vitamins and eating on a schedule, I hope to become more
normal again.
I never ate on a schedule before except when I was a kid living with my
(more…)

HELLO! I am a 23 and I have finally(yeah, after the millionth time)
decided to lose all the weight and get on a diet!! I had a baby a
year ago and I pretty much look pregnant! The weight never came
off..it just “hung” around and got comfy. I talked to a girl I met
not too long ago and she mentioned the Atkins “diet” in which she
supposedly lost 20 pounds in 12 days!! NOW doesn’t that just make you
want to do it!? Well, yeah..it of course convinced me!!..I started it
and well, now that I look into it..I am eating a lot of calories and
no carbs…so..I decided to look into how many calories I need to
take in daily to make me lose weight(fast of course)….seems I need
AT the most 1000 daily to lose a pound every 3rd day..hmm…from what
I understood…please correct me if I am wrong. SO this means I get
to eat..water and an egg and a piece of turkey a day and maybe some
tuna..lol..not bad..but…if I can lose at least 10 pounds in 2 weeks
then….I am willing to give it a try. I am currently at 200
(more…)

In a message dated 2/25/2003 7:21:45 PM Central Standard Time,

This has really interested me since my surgery 1/10/03. I too was very hungry
early…convinced so. Then I discovered what “head hunger” really is. Of
course it would happen when I saw something delish on TV or when my husband
filled the house with tantalizing aromas when he cooked for himself or when I
decided I really wanted something other than clear liquids…I really wasn’t
hungry! Big shock - this is a big adjustment for your head and your body. It
certainly aint the easy way out!
Now that I am a little further post-op…I do get hungry some when I’m not
even thinking about food. I am disappointed that I am not one of the other
wls souls who were not hungry for months, but on the plus side I don’t get
hungry like before surgery and I am losing weight - 43 lbs so far ( and I
already hit a ~ 2 week plateau). I do worry about the hunger that returns
after the honeymoon period since I am already experiencing some hunger. Guess
(more…)

having been cancelled twice before finally having surgery the third time i can
commiserate with you. how do you get through….after cursing out the gods for a
while just move on. you have a set date for try two. try to find something fun
to do elevating yoiur blood pressure, grousing and in general going nuts will
not make it any easier. lol, i did a variety of all of the above. it was when i
numbed out a little that it became bearable. take a walk, love on someone, walk
a dog, go to the movies and see all the ones you wanted to see or rent some
videos, read a couple of good books and keep as busy as humanly possible. go on
a high protein diet, see if you can preadjust to what is coming. an increase in
exercise, protein and water will help you to feel better and more focused on
what is surely coming in march. jmho
love, ida, george the wonder beagle and the marvelous magoo

I have a question for anyone who has had or is planning to have WLS at
Vanderbilt.
My surgeon is Dr. William Richards and was wondering if anyone has gone through
the Lap RNY at Vandy. If you like, you can email me privately. I meet with Dr.
Richards March 11th…moved up from April 3rd. I also have my psych eval that
same day. I am really looking forward to finding out if my insurance is going to
fight me or not and if not, “getting this show on the road.” I would like to
hear from anyone who is familar with WLS at Vanderbilt Hospital so maybe we
could compare notes. Thanks in advance…
I’ll keep you informed of my progress.
Steve
347
BMI=48

I am home and feeling half way human. Dr. had to do open instead of
lap when he got in because of scar tissue. It has been absolutely
horrible to say the least. Right now I regret my decision but hope
that will change as time goes on.
My question is am I hurting myself by only eating no sugar added
juice bars (Dr. recommends 2 wks. liquid diet in beginning - been 1
wk. today)? I have tried other things such as sugar free carn.
instant breakfast made with soy milk but it almost makes me sick
thinking of it. I know some of you were on a soft diet by the 2nd
wk. I have been seriously thinking of trying this. I feel like I
need to be getting something in but my body just doesn’t want it. Do
I need to make myself? Thanks all!
Sandra Shepard
Tallahassee, FL
311/?

Hello All,
I was approved for surgery last October and have been waiting the
last couple of months to attend a seminar. Finally I decided to give
Kaiser a call and see why the long delay. I recieved a notice in
regards to my files being sent off to Pacific Bariatric Hospital in
San Diego. I contacted the hospital to find out what the
requirements were and where to go from here. I was told that I had
to attend a seminar and complete my pre-op tests. I would like to
find out what tests are required and if anyone here has had surgery
at this hospital.
It just seems that I keep getting the run around. I started this
process over a year and a half ago and still have not received a
surgery date. And all the red tape I went through previously no
longer applies since I have been passed over to another hospital.
I will be attending the seminar on March 11th in Walnut Creek and
(more…)

Hello:
I just got a call from my PCP that my blood reports had come back fine
except for my potassium levels. She was concerned that I might be taking an over
the counter dirurectic (which I am not) or some medication that was causing me
to lose more potassium than normal (which I am not) I am tking no medication
and sometimes forget to take my vitamins (I know, I know) My diet is normal,
but smaller quantities of course. I eat protein, vegatables and then fruit.
I lost 104 pounds in about 6 1/2 months, but seem to have stabilized. I
feel great and have more energy than I used to have.
Any feedback you could offer with regards to this issues and wls would help
as I am going in to have the test retaken tommorrow and then see her. She said
this is not normally a test that gives a false positive.
Thank you and Good luck and God Bless. You do an important work.
Judy H. Wright
Personal and oral historian,parent educator and coach
(more…)

Chris,
I wasn’t hungry for the first couple weeks after surgery, but after that my
appetite came back. I was not one of the lucky ones who had no appetite for
months, so yes, I experienced hunger early on.
The best advice I can give you for feeling fuller longer is to stick to protein.
It stays in your pouch longer and you have the feeling of satiation longer.
You are only a couple weeks post op so you are probably still in the mushy food
stage, and that stuff isn’t dense like chicken, so it will run thru your pouch
faster. Just stick to the protein and it will get better in time, it did with
me.
Kelly
-106 pounds @ 6 months post op!