I'm really struggling!!

I'm really struggling with the Pre-OP diet!!!  I am, no doubt about it, an emotional eater and I was thinking the Pre-op would give me an opportunity to deal with that head on.  But my children, two of which are special needs and the other two 6 year old twins, are OUT of CONTROL!!  My fuse is short and I'm a maniac!  Is it really easier after surgery??

I have diabetes (a1c of 12!), sleep apnea, cholesteral and blood pressure issues! I need this surgery to work but I'm afraid my emotional issues will absolutely undermine me.  I can't tolerate the idea of going through this and not making the most of having this tool.... 

I'm going to call the therapist tomorrow but I just want to know does it really get easier?  My Pre-op consists of 5 Optifast shakes and clear liquids.  I've yet to make it through a day without a nibble..... today it was a few grapes...  I'm really worried...

Any advice, tough love, or inspiration would be greatly appreciated!

Elisa :-|

Elisa...one thing I can totally relate to is the emotional eating...I don't have near the responsibilities you do (with 4 children--God bless you and give you strength), but I am fearful that the emotional issues will make it difficult for me to stay on track (I am just one week post-op)...but I also sense that--like me--you have reached a point where you need to give this tool the best chance you can...my a1c got up to 11.5 before I made the decision that I had to give this surgery a chance--I also have high blood pressure and issues with triglycerides...I am probably a lot older than you (I am 51), and I knew this was the best chance for me to get my health back

hang in there with the pre-op because I honestly don't know if I could have done even a 2-week pre-op without the sleeve as a tool...for an emotional eater without the tool of surgery, I don't know how it could be expected that you follow a pre-op diet--I have said before that if I could follow a pre-op diet, then I probably wouldn't need WLS

you have those 4 wonderful children to give you motivation post-op for sure...being physically healthy to fully enjoy your time with them I believe will help you tremendously along with the aid of the sleeve...I believe you can do it...hang in there!

Thank  you for your insights.  I agree, if I could follow this diet I wouldn't need the surgery!  I simply didn't expect it to be this difficult.

Congratulations on your surgery and Good Luck on your journey!

Elisa

Emotional eating issues will not get easier after surgery. Maybe initially when you literally cant eat/drink much..but at 2 years out, my issues are certainly undermining the sucess i had....

get help...deal with those issues sooner rather than later. 

Thank you for the honesty, that's exactly what I feel. If I don't learn a better way to deal with my stress, in the moment, it won't matter what size my stomach is.   As I said last night the eating disorder specialist I saw for approval was great.  I'm planning on calling her in the morning.

Elisa

Hi

First of all YES, it does get a lot better.  Right now you have your head going a million different directions. You do have your hands pretty full. The 1 st month is the hardest month.  And we all know it was hard, but here is what you need to know.  It is only 30 days.  It is NOT a lifetime.  You can do this, but don't look at it as 30 days.  Take it one day at a time.  The beauty of this, once you have the surgery you NO longer feel hunger.  Hunger and our brain drives us nuts.  Do the best you can right now. Stop beating yourself up.  We all have had to learn to deal with head hunger and emotional eating.  I would have talks with myself.  It was a good thing sometime that no one was around.  You need to start asking do I NEED to eat or do I just WANT to eat.  99% of the time it is a want, because that is how we deal with emotional eating.  I think you are on the right track.  You have expressed you are struggling, and you are going to call for help tomorrow.  The best thing is that you are not alone.  We are always out here to encourage you and help you with what ever you need.

Hugs,

Suzanne

Thank you for the encouragement! I think the lack of true hunger post-op will help.  You're right I need to keep this in prespective and part of it is worrying about the surgery itself!

Thanks again!

Elisa

You sound a lot like me, and what I was feeling so I really sympathize with you.  I was about a week into the liquid pre-op diet before I got used to it, and then it got a lot easier.  Until then I was daydreaming about food all the time, and what I wish I would have eaten in my several food funerals etc. 

What helped me was knowing that if I didn't follow the diet, then my liver might not shrink enough for the doctor to do the surgery laproscopic (sp?!) and might have to cut me open which would make recovery so much harder, and with your kids you really don't want that to happen!  They will need you to recover as quickly as possible!  I also have a lot of "medical anxiety" and fear so knowing that I was making the surgery easier for the doctor helped, because I felt like the easier I made it for him then hopefully I was preventing him from making any mistakes!!

I'm a week post-op tomorrow and at this point I don't even want food, so trust me it will get easier.  Are you eating SF popsicles?  They did help some becuase I felt like I was chewing something. 

Hang in there, trust me if I could do it I feel like anyone could do it!  Your NEED this surgery for your health, so that you are around for your kids and grandkids in the future.  You don't want your kids to have a mother in a wheelchair becuase her foot was amputated due to diabetes.  My aunt right now is in danger of losing her sight becuase of her diabetes.  You can do it!

Thank you for responding.  I hadn't thought about it in terms of aiding the surgeon -- my controlling nature likes that!  I'll have to go and get some SF popsicles.  I think I might not be supplementing the Protein shakes sufficiently.  

Congratulations on your surgery!

Thanks again!

Elisa

Just wanted to give you HUGS!  I don't have special needs children, but I have a 2 year old and 4 year old, and they drive me nuts most days ;-) They really, really, really stress me out, and I have totally eaten over that stress. I can really relate.  I was searching for a good therapist and finally found one (after trying about 5 other ones!), and I recommend you try to get help now, and after the surgery...remember, they cannot operate on your brain!  I am going to need therapy for a long time....mine has been a lifelong emotional eating problem.  The Sleeve is helping, but as other say, the restriction will eventually go away.