New to OH -Waiting on Surgery Date- Questions/Worries are starting!!!

Hello everyone, I am have my final appointment at my surgeon's office next week and hopefully will get approval and surgery date (RNY) after that.  I have been reading the blogs and am very excited but have a few questions and concerns.

1.  Has anyone started at 240 lb, I know it is on the low end (according to the surgeon) but due to my co-morbidities and the fact that I have spent my entire adult life (I am 50 now) battling my weight he thinks it will be a good idea.  Was it harder to lose weight and do you think it was worth it?

2.  I am also concerned abou****er intake.  I LOVE WATER!  It will be so hard to take tiny sips, and some have posted about issues even drinking water.  Does that go away eventually?  Is there ever a point when you can drink water normally?  I know a weird thing to worry about, but I can't imagine being thirsty and not being able to drink.

3.  Okay, offensive question, but I have to ask.  I understand there are issues with bowel movement and gas (obnoxious smell, LOL!).  Is the gas controllable?  I work in a small office and I worry about that.  

4.  Finally, now that I am getting close I am starting to hear this voice in my head telling me how stupid it is that I have not just been able to lose the weight on my own after all these years.  I know what to do and I have done it numerous times only to regain the weight plus some.  I feel like such a failure and even though the surgery recovery and follow-up eating plan is going to be hard work I am kicking myself for having to do something so drastic to get my life back.  Did anyone else deal with that?

Thanks to everyone *****ads this and to anyone to answers!  

Welcome!

 

1-  I started at 237 with a couple of co-morbidities as well. I lose weight at about a rate of 3.5 lbs a week. My surgeon says that is right on track. I won't say the journey has been easy, but I don't know that it's any harder than anyone else.  This takes commitment and dedication to changing your entire lifestyle to a healthy one. If you can do that then you'll have no problem at all.  

2- I only had to take tiny sips for about the first month.  After that I was able to take larger sips.  I don't chug my water like I used to but I drink it pretty normally without issue.  You will learn to figure out what is best for you.  Some can have trouble with water in the beginning as they heal, but that gets better with time. Remember your body is undergoing major surgery. In the beginning you need to give it time to adjust to everything. 

3. I don't have this issue so I can't speak to it but I know others have posted how they deal with it. If you do a search on the site I bet you can find some good stuff.

4. I think we all felt this way at some point. However, if we could lose weight the old fashioned way, none of us would have ever considered surgery.  Think of this step as a good thing, not an answer to failure. You are taking a serious step to improve your health and well being.  One thing I did before and after surgery is talk to a therapist. I got rid of the negative feelings and figured out what caused me to create the unhealthy habits that I did in the first place. It was one of the best things I ever did.  If you are feeling that way I recommend you do the same. 

 

Good luck to you and try not to worry too much. You can do this!

1.  My BMI was in the 60's and my age was in the 50's when I had the RNY procedure making the initial weight loss effortless and well worth it.  (I'm wondering where you got the idea losing weight would be harder?)

2.  Sipping water while your insides are healing is important. How normal drinking becomes varies.  A six-year post op support group member reports he misses chugging water (his stoma forces him to drink slowly) on a hot, summer day.  As a normal water-drinker 18 months post-op, I came home to experiment if I can chug water--no problem.  

3.  I find this problem to be, unfortunately, very true.  There are products out there to help with smell but find them no match!!  However, I do find Miralax working well for constipation.  

4. When I'd walk out of my appointment with a well-meaning doctor lecture, I would be so determined.  Like you, I was good at losing weight but horrible at keeping it off.  I dieted myself up to a BMI in the 60's with multiple co-morbidities.  WLS is drastic step and a giant leap of faith for a better life. 

*WLS is a drastic step and a giant leap of faith for a better life.*

I too was a lightweight at 232lbs and my weight loss has been very slow but steady.  I am 66 and would have done this earlier if I had found a surgeon I trusted!..I did this to keep my weight off as I have yoyoed over the years and to become more mobile as I aged....50 years old is a perfect time to do it...no children at home( well one if mine is still there!) but you can focus more on yourself .....my recovery was painless and smooth and I feel younger and more energetic than I have in 20 years.

 

it is difficult and sometimes discouraging but, for me, well worth it.

 

i sometimes have gas and am constipated at times but that is a small price to pay for the hope that once I will loose this weight I will not have a fight every day to keep it off!

Abou****er, after the first month, I did not have a problem with drinking as much as I wanted ( although I was never a chugger) and I often prefer warm drinks.  I never eat and drink at the same time and I wait a half an hour after I eat to drink.  I also practiced for a couple of months before surgery to get in the habit eating without drinking!

Good luck...the beginning is sometimes a little tough, but as new habits kick in it all feels natural!

 

PS....don't let anyone tell you this is the easy way out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am 66, 5 1/2 weeks post-op.  I was 231 with co-morbities.  I have been heavy since I was in my early 20's, mostly over 200, highest was 250 +.  I refused to get on the scale for a while.  A doctor told me my weight was not meant to be lower than 210.  I am down 25 pounds, but seem to be stalled for the last several days.  That hasn't stressed me because I know this happens to everyone.  I'm so glad I found this forum before surgery and try to read everyday.  It has been very helpful.

I had the same question about the water.  I have always drank a lot and a glass with meals.  The sipping was hard to master at first, I knew if I had too much, I just realized yesterday that I am taking bigger drinks now.  I have found that if I am really thirst 30 minutes after a meal, I have a sugar free popsicle, this seems to help, plus it's 1/4 cup of fluid.

So far I have not had the other issues you have mentioned.  I was off work 5 weeks, and I needed it.  I was so tired and just learning how to adjust to all the new ways of eating / drinking.  I wore a top this morning that I haven't been able to wear for quite sometime, didn't even have to stretch it out after I put it on. 

Good luck!!!

Some people are able to drink normally right after surgery.  Most are able to eventually. 

I don't have issues with smelly gas.  I mean, sometimes I do have smelly gas, but I did pre-op, too.  It's no smellier now than before my surgery.

THANKS EVERYONE! for the replies.  All great words of wisdom and advice.  I think seeing a therapist to talk about my negative self-talk is a great idea and I will pursue that.  I do not have children at home anymore, last one went to college a few weeks ago.  I struggle with so much joint and foot pain and and feeling very immobile.  Now is the time to take my life back.  Thanks again!  Oh... I feel much better about the water after everyone's response, I can be patient and sip for as long as it takes :)

1.)  I started at 249 (at 5' 6").  In my first two weeks I've lost 20 lbs, so you may not be a slow loser :)

2.) I am still struggling with water, so I've found that Crystal Lite is much easier for my tummy to tolerate.

3.) The first week or so I was loaded with gas (however I had 2 surgeries, the sleeve on 8/12 and a RNY on 8/13) so I had double the gas.  It was more painful than the incisions or my belly pain.  Once I stopped eating sugar free pops with sorbitol, my life was sooo much easier :)

4.) Especially when I first got home from the hospital I was saying, "Why didn't I try Weigh****chers just one more time???  What have I done???" But I know in 6 months or a year from now it will ALL be worth it.

Good luck to you!

I don't have a lot to add as I am pre-op myself but I did want to reply to questions 1., 2.and 4. I myself am a lightweight at a BMI of 37.6 or 226lbs but I have several minor co-morbidities that I hope will help me get qualified for surgery. (Degenerative Disc Disease,I've had 2 back surgeries, tachycardia, shortness of breath on exertion, depression and a couple others). I just went to my orientation session so I'm waiting to see if I get a call for some appointments or if I'll get told that I don't qualify, I'll have to wait and see. 2. I have had this concern too, I like to drink lots of water like 1.5-3 liters per day. I know a lot of the posters here drink 100oz which is 3 liters, so we should be okay. I thinks it's just a matter ofr smaller sips more frequently instead of gulps. 4. I think many of us feel this way, I mean I can't speak for everybody obviously lol but I know I have often had the same thoughts so your not alone in that regards. I know a lot of the posters here have recommended therapists or counselors so that's what I'm doing to try to help me sort out my issues with food before surgery so I'm better prepared afterward. Anyway that is about all I can say as I'm not very far into the process myself but I hope it was helpful. Good-Luck with your journey keep us updated on how your progressing :-)