4 Week Post Op Appt......Kinda freaked out over talk of Free Radicals

My surgery was 4 weeks ago today.  My initial consult I was 394 and lost 8 pounds   pre -op.  Surgery weight was 386 and I am 352 today for a total weight loss of 42lbs. 36lbs. in 4 weeks. I am so happy about that.  My type two diabetes is non- existent.  The highest spike I have had since 3 days post-op is 102 when I ate cream of wheat.   I had my month appt. at my surgeon yesterday and he was pleased about my progress.  I asked him about my diet which is pretty much the same thing everyday.  2 protein shakes and a fourth of a cup of either cottage cheese, yogurt, or cream of wheat.  We are suppose to get off full liquids and move to soft foods when we are one month out which is this Thursday for me.  I wanted to just continue to do what I am doing which he said was fine but I needed to try to get some fruits and vegetables, even if I had to juice them, because of the free radicals in your body when you are in a rapid weight loss phase.  I sorta freaked out.  Free Radicals=Cancer in my mind.  When I left the office I stopped at McDonalds and got a yogurt and chewed on the blueberry's and spit out the skin and when I got home I drank a glass of green tea.  LOL!!  I think I'm doing something to help my health: weight down, no more BP meds, Type 2 Diabetes is gone......now I have to worry about Free Radicals......Apparently it is always going to be something!!  I'm Very Happy With My VSG though. 

No one's ever mentioned that to me, nor have I read anything on this forum about it. Not to say it's not a concern, but I've never heard about it.

I'd put more stake in what my NUT says vs. my surgeon. My surgeon is awesome but the eating goals he set forth were too much, even per the NUT. I think surgeons 'goals are more extreme (i.e. at two months post-op, his plan was for us to eat 3 oz in 15 minutes, something I've only recently been able to do) My NUT is more realistic.

btw, I didn't eat much fruit or veg really until a coupla months ago. Couldn't fit it in. It was enough just to get an ounce of tuna in my belly, much less a carrot or a grape.

First off congrats to you! You have made AMAZING progress in such a short time!! Yay no more medications!!!!

The cells of our body all have a specific number of electrons in them. Sometimes we loose one from damage or a breakdown of a cell and we loose a electron. It becomes a free radical when it attaches to oxygen in our body then attacks a healthy cell and breaks it down. Its normal and our body does it all the time, we also produce antioxidants naturally to fight them. When they are produced in excess the damage they causes can trigger damage to  the cells DNA.  They also cause damage to tissues of  the heart and cause ischemic heart disease, this is more likely then cancer from what I understand. 

So, don't worry most of us in here have been overexposed to free radicals all ready. Our body creates TONS of them when we eat stuff like fast food or fried stuff with polyunsaturated fats. Our body stores that stuff and it gives the roaming electrons the oxygen it needs to make free radicals. 

Antioxidants stop the damage free radicals cause, because we are exposed to so many free radicals we need more antioxidants then our body can make..so we take multivitamins and try to eat foods high in antioxidants and vitamins A, C and E. 

Talk to your nutritionist but I think the diet change we have all made has reduced the number of free radicals we have in our system even with the number we create on our own dieting. Just keep up on the multivitamins and  the amazing progress you are making!!

Amy~

Bah humbug. You aren't going to get cancer from losing weight. Worry about getting in enough water or getting enough exercise, things you can control. It sounds like you are doing great so don't let anyone get you down. You are a winner.

Thanks for your response.  It makes me feel a little more at ease.  I knew that we stored hormones in our fat cells and when the cell breaks down it dumps the extra hormones into our systems......but the "Free Radical" thing he spoke of yesterday made me really nervous because cancer does run in my family.  I have been taking my Vitamins religiously since day 3 post-op so I'm gonna side with you on between that and my body's own defenses I need not worry.  Thanks for setting my mind at ease!!