How soon post op did you .....

[LeighZ]

Have been having a few problems post op and feeling somewhat discouraged about it all so i'm hoping for a little reassuarnce that all will be well in the end.

Of course if anyone is able to give me an exact time and date that i will be bouncing for joy in a size 16 that would be cool too .............for now, if anyone is willing to humour/placate me i will settle for a little questionaire........

How soon post op did you....

weigh yourself?

realise your skirt/trousers were no longer tight?

last struggle emotionally with your eating?

really feel the benefit of having surgery?

take your first really long walk?

decide the worst was finally over?

'honestly' feel this was the best thing you could have done?

start eating more normally?

stop thinking all the time about what you will eat?

manage your fluid intake?

Darn had about 20 more (better) questions but the mind has gone blank

 

[jaxx]

How soon post op did you....

weigh yourself? 2 weeks post op

realise your skirt/trousers were no longer tight? About 3 weeks post op

last struggle emotionally with your eating?
I'm a year and a half post op and I still struggle everyday with it

really feel the benefit of having surgery?
About 3 months post op

take your first really long walk?
5 months post op

decide the worst was finally over?
2 months post op

'honestly' feel this was the best thing you could have done?
5 months post op, I struggled enormously at the beginning, regretted my surgery instantly and thought i'd ruined my life for the longest time.

start eating more normally?
Again around 5 months post op

stop thinking all the time about what you will eat?
I'm still thinking that even now

manage your fluid intake?
I never did, just drank as much as I could stomach

Hope this helps.

 

[Big an Bouncy]

Hi as soon as I had the op I stopped stressing about food,It is the last thing on my mind now and not the first!I have to watch I dont forget to eat cos I can go all day and if I didnt get light headed would probably not bother at all.Drinking the same.I felt really well and able to do most things by 2 months.Im 5 months now size 16 jeans,14st,swim and go to the gym 3 times a week.I was 19st whan I had my surgery on 21st Feb!I have energy coming out of my ears,feel fantastic,buying a bike and all at 56!Everyone is different you will see that from coming on here.Im kind of at a stall been 14st for a few weeks but that doesnt bother me,Ive done well and feel so healthy I wouldnt mind if I didnt lose another pound.My hair is thinning but thats the only negative.Best of luck ditch the scales and use a tape to measure your loses by inches not pounds!Maz x

 

[LeighZ]

Im a true believer in the tape measure over the scales. Sounds silly but i set my alarm to remind me to eat ...glad to hear im not the only one who 'forgets'...

Thanks so much Jaxx. Wow you sound exactly like me. I've been feeling ive traded one nightmare life for another. Been having so many problems with 24/7 nausea because i havent been able to eat or drink enough. Now following hospital advice and eat 1-2 tsp every hour with a glass of water inbetween in the hope i can get the intake i should be having.

The lack of fluids alone is causing serious problems for me. I've had problems with my spine and joints since childhood and these are always more sever when i am dehydrated so ive been trading off trying to get the fluids i need. On these days i havent been able to eat enough so feeling all dizzy and blahhh so i try to eat everything i should and feel nausea from dehydration. Im confident (ish) that this phase will pass but i sure wish it would hurry up

Ive cut and pasted your post to a little sticky for my computer Jaxx, it will remind me on bad days that this is par for the course and will get better. Thank you

 

[Karlos]

How soon post op did you....

weigh yourself? The next day I think

realise your skirt/trousers were no longer tight? About two weeks post op

last struggle emotionally with your eating? Still to totally achieve this nearly three years out. I was a food addict and I still am

really feel the benefit of having surgery? About two months out

take your first really long walk? One month out

decide the worst was finally over? Two weeks out

'honestly' feel this was the best thing you could have done? Three months out

start eating more normally? Six weeks out

stop thinking all the time about what you will eat? Still think that way so I can plan my intake properly

manage your fluid intake? About two weeks out

 

[Rebirth]

Hi LeighZ, I know we are all different but here are my replies as best as I can remember.

How soon post op did you....

weigh yourself? = The next day whilst still in hospital and then the day after when I got home.

realise your skirt/trousers were no longer tight? = I can't really remember, however, I noticed that my knickers were a bit baggy when I was into my second week.

last struggle emotionally with your eating?= This is one of the hard points for me. I've realised that I get a real craving for carbs mid cycle and during my period. At other times it is just head hunger.

really feel the benefit of having surgery? = The begining of the second week.

take your first really long walk? = I walked to the doctors which is about a mile in my second week. I think it was a little early as I was very shaky.

decide the worst was finally over? = When I woke up from the op on ITU and knew I was alive.

'honestly' feel this was the best thing you could have done? = When my daughters walked into the room to visit me on my 2nd night in hospital. This was intensified when I went to my dads and saw my siblings over the Christmas period.

start eating more normally? = Around Christmas time. I could eat most things but in very small amounts and the best thing was, I didn't feel deprived.

stop thinking all the time about what you will eat? = I have to admit I still do this now. I never know what I want for a snack, apart from PMT time when I crave carbs and chocolate. Funnily enough on the odd occassion I've given into chocolate, I have never enjoyed it and only had a small piece. I can't believe we still have partially eaten Easter eggs in our fridge! I would normally have replaced them at least 3x prior to Easter and have to replace them post Easter with other chocolate.

manage your fluid intake? = I was always a keen water drinker prior to surgery. However, I find that I much prefer hot water to a cup of tea now. I tend to have a bottle of water by the bed and there is always one in the car and my bag. I find I don't enjoy squashes or juices as much now.

Hope this is helpful. Sorry I was never one for short replies.

 

[blueeyes]

How soon post op did you....

weigh yourself?
In the beginning I weighed every few days, because I was so impatient! But I soon learned that that is not productive behaviour as weight fluctuates greatly when your body is healing and recovering from surgery! STAY OFF THE SCALES lady I now (7 months out) weigh weekly at home, and that's plenty!

realise your skirt/trousers were no longer tight?
About a month out of surgery clothes started being too big. 7 months out, I've gone from a size 32 or 34 in trousers to 22 or 24 and I've lost 100 lbs.


last struggle emotionally with your eating?
'fraid this will not just disappear after surgery. This is a work in progress kind of thing. Dealing with emotions INSTEAD of eating is a daily battle for me. I'm mostly winning

really feel the benefit of having surgery?
From about 2 months out I started to feel a difference in my body, and every single day now I notice something else that's improving, or getting easier, or just plain better! Life is grand.

take your first really long walk?
I walked 10K a couple of weeks ago (7 months out), never really walked that far before. I just couldn't. It was impossibly exhausting. I'm getting a bike this week too!

decide the worst was finally over?
When I woke up form surgery ;-) But in reality, the WORST is the pre - op diet, and the recovery phase (few weeks) where I was really tired and weak (not in pain though) and super emotional (cried for no reason, mood swings, then really happy.. I was all over the place!)

'honestly' feel this was the best thing you could have done?
3 months post op, as that was when I started eating normally

start eating more normally?
3 months post op

stop thinking all the time about what you will eat?
I still do that, and it is required because I want to carefully monitor my diet, not mindlessly stuff myself like before. I still think about food and love it just as much. I just make better choices (most of the time)

manage your fluid intake?
I drank more pre op than post op (water that is), but I do my best to maintain enough fluid intake. It's hard the first few months because your capacity is so little

 

[Adorabella]

This is a fantastic thread, really helps to understand other peoples experiences!

 

[LeighZ]

Thanks for the replies guys. It is seriously helpful to know the 'little' things. I was starting to think i was something of an oddball hearing everyone feeling so great and me struggling so badly. Have spoken to the hospital about the 24/7 nausea and its a combination of the fragmin and dehydration. Last of the fragmin today and ive swapped my afternoon pureed fruit for juice and making more effort to drink a set amount between meals.

|Decided i need to clear my head too - i was really getting down abuot it all - so met a friend and waddled around the pool for 90 mins. taking the pressure off my spine felt wonderful and having some adult company after being in the house with semi-adult kids for 3 weeks was fantastic too. Didnt really swim so much as flap the arms about to stay afloat while we chatted.

I truly appreciate hearing from you all. I notice im a similar weight and height to some of you also so your own stories.weight loss has been an inspiration thank you so much........