Any post-sleevers out there that TRULY regret there surgery?

[sweetnsassy]

i would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat!!!! I am so annoyed at myself for waiting so long to do this! I should have made myself a priority long ago!

[sweetnsassy]

[QUOTE=RXQUEEN;24708]Alright so here goes as soon as i woke up i said to myself WTH did i just do! I am just one month out and have had what i think a hard time. I have gone though emotional rollercoasters up the ying yang. So tired of the taste of water and even all those sugar free add in's dont help. I have been hospitalized already for dehydration that sucked got poked everytime they gave me fluid the liquid potassium i had to drink was horrible really felt like giving up. At times i regret it but my boyfriend tells me not to think that I whats done is done and now i have to move forward. I struggle so much with water intake protein intake constantly feel like i have a tennis ball in my thorat so it makes drinking harder. I feel full alot and then that puts me behind and once you lose enough potassium its hard to get back on track without getting hydrated AGAIN! I struggle everyday to get up and push myself but i have four kids and people who love me so i cant give up. I take heartburn meds for the lump feeling but they do not work. I hear it takes time so i am waiting for this frown to turn upside down . I want to excercise but i feel like i will sweat the little water i took in out so that blows. I am thankful cause i know i could be worse and i know that there are some/many people who deal with way more difficult things in life. I struggle with my food addiction and miss the things i used to eat also just the luxury of just breing able to chug some water down in one sitting. I deal with daily nausea even with meds. from what i hear things will get better so i am waiting till then. And i hope at one point i will be one of the people that say I <3 my sleeve. Hope you dont take this as negative this is just my honest journey.[/QUOTE

So sorry you are having such a tough time! I took a weight loss class at Kaiser when I was preparing to go thru their program for and RNY, before I decided to be self pay and have the sleeve. They suggested we us a toddler size spoon and fork and smaller plate to teach us portion control and eat slower. It seemed silly to me prior to surgery. I did it maybe half the time. Since surgery, I have found that when I eat with a regular size fork or spoon I have alot more trouble. It took about a week to figure this out. Now I only use the toddler size spoon and fork! I also continued taking papaya enzymes (chewable) which help immensely with the gas build up. Only occassionally do I have a problem with that now. Luckily so far I haven't had reflux issues. Also I understand about the dehydration. It is so hard for me to get in the water. While I was at the hotel the week after my surgery they provided me with watermelon and cantelope popsicles. It was easy to stay hydrated with them. After returning home I got really weak for about 3 days due to dehydration. Finally in frustration, sent hubby to the store for watermelon. He put it in the blender, pouring in popsicle molds and I have been smiling ever since! I stored the extra in a juice bottle and fill it up daily so I have a ready supply. I have 2 or 3 watermelon pops a day and drink water to finish it off! Hopefully some of this will help you. Good luck. Feel better soon! ;o)

[cuteypie84]

I am very happy with my decision to have the sleeve done and don't have any regrets!

[yippyskippy]

Hey RxQueen-Hope you start feeling better soon and thank you for giving us all your honest feelings about your journey thus far!
Big hugs to you!!!

[lisak119]

I was wondering about the same thing. I have just about made up my mind to become a "sleever". I am thinking about Dr Almanza or Dr Kelly in Mexico. My insurance wont pay for it. Any advise would be helpful...Thanks Much!

[Kloudyday]

Thank you so much for honestly sharing you're experiences RXQUEEN; I hope things start getting better for you soon!

[connie]

Thank you so much for the heads up on how this works. Good luck with your surgery---I am very excited for you.

[lightly2]

RXQUEEN, so sorry your are feeling this way. Hope all the kinks will work out soon. I am only 5 days post op and my only regret so far is that I did not know about the sleeve before. I have however, had been contemplating the lap band for years, just did not like the thought of having a foreign substance in my body. lisak19, I chose Dr. Almanza and he and his crew was wonderful. The care was good and the staff attentive. The recovery house has 24 hour nurses on duty and other helpers if you need anything locally. I use crystal light singles in water and just sip throughout the day. This helps to keep me hydrated.

About the toddler utencils, I never took any program post operatively but I just implemented that on my own and it helps a lot. We can only take sips and small portions and the sizes just fit....furthermore, we are learning to eat all over again. Good luck to all. 5 days sleeved and loving it. still a little weak but I know it will only get better.

[SLEEVEHAPPY]

If that question would've been asked the day after my surgery I would've told you I regreted it! I was in so much pain that week I told my husband " Why would you let me do it?". 1 week out I was the happiest woman alive I had lost 20lbs that week and knew I can do it. I would so do it all over again. Like they say Pain is Beuty or is the other way around?

[wega]

No regrets so far and I hope I never have any! I'm tall (5'10) and large frame. The most I've ever weighed was like 250 after my son was born. I even weighed 215 in the 6th grade! So I've always battled the bulge. I took diet pills for years - adipex just to maintain 180. The surgery is a blessing - one less thing I have to worry about as I'm not hungry anymore - physically hungry that is! Now I can concentrate on my brain!! I have several family members who are severly obese. If I had the extra money, i would fly them all to Dr. Almanza as soon as I could get them on the plane.

[Wendy Mac]

That is a great question! In my case I am 9 days post surgery, still feeling a little tender in places so my answer will be as honest as I can be right now;
I am sooo happy I had it done. I am finally going to find that woman I lost ten years ago. She became someone who had so much self loathing and left her life slip away. My favorite thing to do to relax when I am at the beach is to take long walks along the shore. Our house is I block from the beach and in the last ten years I can count on one hand how many walks I have taken and would have fingers left over. The day of my surgery I told the old Wendy good-by
and to make room for the new and improved model. Our insurance coverd none of the surgery so I am kind of a tight wad with money so I am going to get every penny out of this!! I would do this again definitley.

[Juney]

I am only 4 weeks out today, and it has been a breeze for me. I noticed earlier in the thread someone saying they were 9 days since surgery, and feeling full up after eating. Most surgeons tell you to have fluids only for 2 weeks, then puree for 2 weeks, then mashed food and going on to solids after. 9 days out is really too soon to be eating and feeling overfull!

I have to admit that I didn't stick to fluids only for the first two weeks, mainly because the first thing they gave us in the hospital after surgery (apart from a drink of juice the first day after the op) was yoghurt, and that yoghurt had chunks of fruit in it. I chewed the bits to death mind you! It was Activia, so probably it was to put some good bacteria back in the stomach. So I had fluids, and yoghurty type stuff, and cup a soups which had bits of leek in. The pureed stage for the next two weeks was more difficult for me, as most foods don't taste the same pureed, so I tried Weetabix which goes to a pulp if you leave it in milk for a bit, mashed potato with gravy to thin it down. I found I was desperate to chew some food, so before I moved on to the mashed stage, I bought a fillet steak, as I knew it would be tender and easier to grind down. I chewed it well, swallowed it down, and had no problems at all. You get to know your sleeve, what it likes and what it doesn't. Having said that, now at 4 weeks out, and supposed to be starting mashed foods, I am eating everything with no problems at all, but in very small portions. I did have a problem the other day when out with friends for lunch. I ordered a Cajun Chicken Wrap, and tucked in while chatting away, after 3 bites I realised I hadn't been concentrating, and had reverted back to chewing 4 times and swallowing it down! I had to high up pain, and it almost came back, but I managed to burp, and it seemed to go down OK after that. It was a lesson learnt though, and until I am in the habit of eating more slowly, and chewing food properly, I must concentrate when I eat.

I love my sleeve, and don't regret it for a single second. I was worried that I would see a plate of food, want to eat it all, but couldn't, and be really upset by it. In reality, that doesn't happen - you see something you fancy, but you are satisfied afer a small amount, and don't feel like eating the rest. My life is no longer ruled by food, I no longer think about food every waking minute. I don't feel the permanent hunger I had before, and my life is so much better for it. I bet my friends at work would have said I was the happiest person they had ever met, but I am even happier in myself now, and they have said that shows, so now I'm happier than ever

[bobbybeegood]

Would you all do it again?

I wouldn't hesitate one second to do it all over again!

[sqezybabe]

Best move i've ever done...would recommend to anyone...only regret, wished i had done it long ago!!!!!!!

[RXQUEEN]

So sorry you are having such a tough time! I took a weight loss class at Kaiser when I was preparing to go thru their program for and RNY, before I decided to be self pay and have the sleeve. They suggested we us a toddler size spoon and fork and smaller plate to teach us portion control and eat slower. It seemed silly to me prior to surgery. I did it maybe half the time. Since surgery, I have found that when I eat with a regular size fork or spoon I have alot more trouble. It took about a week to figure this out. Now I only use the toddler size spoon and fork! I also continued taking papaya enzymes (chewable) which help immensely with the gas build up. Only occassionally do I have a problem with that now. Luckily so far I haven't had reflux issues. Also I understand about the dehydration. It is so hard for me to get in the water. While I was at the hotel the week after my surgery they provided me with watermelon and cantelope popsicles. It was easy to stay hydrated with them. After returning home I got really weak for about 3 days due to dehydration. Finally in frustration, sent hubby to the store for watermelon. He put it in the blender, pouring in popsicle molds and I have been smiling ever since! I stored the extra in a juice bottle and fill it up daily so I have a ready supply. I have 2 or 3 watermelon pops a day and drink water to finish it off! Hopefully some of this will help you. Good luck. Feel better soon! ;o)[/QUOTE]

WOW watermelon popsicles i will have to try that thank you so much