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Emotionally a mess

M

Michigan21

Member
I'm new to this forum. I'm so emotional and anxious. I had surgery 9/8/21. I feel like i can't stop crying, overwhelmed, scared to fail, food must have brought me more comfort and joy than i knew. I can't imagine not eating for 2 and a half more weeks. I'm eating protein shakes per the doctor but taking up too 4 oz at a time, no pain, am i screwing it up?
 
Welcome! This journey is different for everyone and being emotional is not out of the ordinary. Try to remember why you had the surgery. Try to ground yourself with the knowledge that you’ve taken control of your health. Which surgery did you have? I don’t think 4oz sounds like too much, just as long as your following the directions on the dietary progression.
 
The instructions I have say 30ml every 15 min, when i called Friday they said I could do 60ml every 10 min. I'm actually upset with the doctor because the eating instructions seem vague and I am in need of black and white answers. I'm pooping and peeing, and taking in enough liquids. I feel pretty good, taking a motrin or Tylenol here or there. I'm kinda depending on Ativan right now to numb my extreme emotions.
 
Hello & welcome. I think we all have had an unhealthy relationship with food that brought us to take the journey to weight loss surgery.

The feelings you have are not unusual. You may typically experience moments of joy, frustration, pride in each victory you achieve, no matter how big or small, and every emotion in between.

The liquid diet is necessary to allow your stomach to heal properly without complications that could put you back in the hospital. Please try to hang in there & follow your program's dietary stages exactly.

The amount of time spent on the restricted diet is just a short time compared to the rest of your life as your brain & stomach relearn to work together.

You have come so far already. Good luck as you continue your journey with your healthy new self!
 
Michigan21 said:
The instructions I have say 30ml every 15 min, when i called Friday they said I could do 60ml every 10 min. I'm actually upset with the doctor because the eating instructions seem vague and I am in need of black and white answers. I'm pooping and peeing, and taking in enough liquids. I feel pretty good, taking a motrin or Tylenol here or there. I'm kinda depending on Ativan right now to numb my extreme emotions.
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OMG you are taking motrin? May I ask what type of surgery you had? This is not to be taken as medical advice, but you might need to check with your bariatric team asap to see if you are permitted n-saids. My team absolutely does not allow any n-saids for the rest of my life bc of the damage it can do to my pouch (RnY bypass surgery.)
 
Michigan21 said:
The instructions I have say 30ml every 15 min, when i called Friday they said I could do 60ml every 10 min. I'm actually upset with the doctor because the eating instructions seem vague and I am in need of black and white answers. I'm pooping and peeing, and taking in enough liquids. I feel pretty good, taking a motrin or Tylenol here or there. I'm kinda depending on Ativan right now to numb my extreme emotions.
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Here are the directions from my surgeons office. I post this as a guideline, not as medical advice. It all depends on which surgery you had on how you’re feeling when it’s time to move to the next phase. Personally I felt it was better to delay progressing to the next phase if I didn’t feel like I was mentally and physically prepared. https://www.ssmhealth.com/SSMHealth...ospital/STL-WMS/bariatric-nutrition-guide.pdf
 
KarenWV said:
OMG you are taking motrin? May I ask what type of surgery you had? This is not to be taken as medical advice, but you might need to check with your bariatric team asap to see if you are permitted n-saids. My team absolutely does not allow any n-saids for the rest of my life bc of the damage it can do to my pouch (RnY bypass surgery.)
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Yeah mine also said no more NSAIDs ever again. Tylenol only for me.
 
Michigan21 said:
I'm new to this forum. I'm so emotional and anxious. I had surgery 9/8/21. I feel like i can't stop crying, overwhelmed, scared to fail, food must have brought me more comfort and joy than i knew. I can't imagine not eating for 2 and a half more weeks. I'm eating protein shakes per the doctor but taking up too 4 oz at a time, no pain, am i screwing it up?
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Welcome, Michigan. You sound like a rousing success to me.

Every day will be a little different. One day, when you don't expect it, everything will be perfect.
 
Hi, Michigan. Welcome to the group. I'm sorry you are feeling so stressed out. I was able to get all my liquids in with no problems almost immediately. I also felt that since I wasn't having as many restrictive issues as I was told I might have, that I was already overdoing it or messing up somehow. You're not .. you're lucky that water isn't causing you pain or making you sick. Be grateful. Which is easier said than done, I know.
Also, food is one of the joys of life. Of course you're sad you're not eating. But you will get to eat again. And you'll enjoy it. These first few weeks post op are very trying; both psychically and emotionally. You'll be fine. Just hold on.
And I agree with everyone else: I was told no NSAIDS ever, so please check with your doctor. They are very hard on your stomach and can cause ulcers.
 
I'm still struggling emotionally, not as bad, but bad thoughts still. I am not taking any pain meds, but since i had the sleeve my doctor said it was fine. Tonight I feel too full, and have a headache. I met my protein and water goals, but i did have homemade cream of asparagus soup pureed and made with yogurt greek-fat free... it was good, i ate 3 oz twice, hours apart and i felt fine. I felt like i would like to go to the bathroom (poo) or pass gas but was only able to pass a little gas. I am laying on the couch, propped up, but still feel crappy. My sleep has also been hard...any suggestions are welcomed. Thank you all. I never thought i would be doing this at 12am. But i appreciate the community and kindness that I'm not alone, my anxiety gets the best of me sometimes.
 
Mich, take a fiber lax twice a day until you're a pooping machine. Backed up bowels can be bad for your surgery. And drink water all day long, at least 1-2 liters. You know, those "family size" bottles of soda, that's 2 liters. Measure out your water in advance and just drink all day until it's gone. It WILL accelerate your weight loss and you'll feel so good.

Drinking water is frequently cited as "too hard" a goal to meet. But people who skimp on water have no problem eating mounds of food. Water will solve the garbage in, garbage out problem. And it will make digestion efficient, improve your skin and soften stool.

If you can't do it right away, do as much as you can. You WILL feel better.

I hope you're having all the right medical tests. Follow healthy nutrition, and let your doctor track your results.
 
Hello again. Try to keep in mind that your surgery was less than a week ago. WLS is considered major surgery and does take time to recover from. You're not going to be feeling back to your old self for a while yet. If you need pain meds, you should absolutely take them. We were merely saying that most of us were told no NSAIDS, to take Tylenol instead. Most of us were also told no puree until week 4 or so. Day 6 post op, I was still only allowed clear liquids.
But you should follow your doctors orders, not ours. So if he/she said Motrin is okay; it's okay. If your post op diet allows puree your first week; it's okay. Follow all of your doctors dietary guidelines and you'll do well.
 
Hello Michigan 21 I can relate to your emotional rollercoaster. I felt the same way. I cried a few times because I wanted to eat food but I knew I could not. One day I tried to eat some soft noodles and I got so sick. I told myself i just had to accept the fact that i can only have liquids until my stomach is healed. Just remember that this won't be forever and you will be happy with the end results. If you want to have a protein milkshake just put your protein shake in the freezer and then put in the blender with a little bit of almond milk and frozen strawberries. Then it would taste like a strawberry milkshake. Yumm so good too!! Don't give up! Keep pushing forward it will get better for you.
 
Welcome those first weeks are difficult and a rollercoaster. Anything including aspirin is on the Nono list including creams for muscles or arthritis. I thought that was taking it pretty far but I am sticking to the program. May your journey get easier as you progress in the stages.
 
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