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Gave away clothes today....Sniff

Annie15
0 Recommendations

Well today I finally went through my closet and bagged up my skinny clothes. Hard to believe that I was once a size 8. That was before the GP and the horrible bloating. Now I'm up to whale size. The domperidone made my boobs huge so I had to get rid of bras and undies, too. It's kind of sad thinking that I will always be bloated and plugged up but I think this was a step towards accepting this condition. GP is miserable but I guess it could be worse. I don't have the nausea and vomiting and for that I'm grateful.

You know, I used to wear cute clothes...but that's all in the past. Elastic waists, sweats and baggie dresses are my new wardrobe. Maybe I'll treat this new body to a massage sometime soon. Hope everyone is having a good day and if not, take care of yourselves. We're all worth it no matter what shape we're in!

Annie

Explore topics in this discussion:

Exercise Surgery Meditation Fever Breast feeding Osteopenia Pain Osteoporosis Nausea and vomiting

33 replies

suzieb

When I was on domperidone one of the side effects was lactating. I could have breast fed again. I understood it was from an increase in the prolactin. I also ended up with osteopenia, borderline osteoporosis which could have been attributed to the med. It did help the vomiting for the 2 years I was on it.
Anyway, you may want to see an endocrinologist and have the prolactin levels checked. They may be able to reduce the swelling in the breasts and everywhere else, minus the bloat of course.
It really was just like when I was breast feeding. The milk would come out when I took a shower. Naturally because I wasn't nursing, those days were long gone, it would feel as if I had rocks on my chest.
This is a little personal. I just wanted you to know it is apparently a side effect.
Take Care. Sara

mphotographer

Hey Annie-
I can only begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for you to have to change your clothes size. It sounds like maybe you do want get your levels checked like Sara suggested. Isn't it a drag when you take one thing and it causes so many other issues!! I am so glad your symptoms have improved. Take care and hang in there. I am sure you can find some cute clothes in your size-time to go shopping :-)). I hope today is a good one for you and everyone. Mphotographer

NancyL

Hi Annie,
I just purged my closet a week ago of size 8s and 10s. I needed to do that to make room for the 14s and 16s that I seem to be rapidly out growing. I am leaning towards mostly loose dresses as i can't stand anything pressing against my stomach. I feel your pain!

Annie15

I'm trying to get into the Mayo clinic and I hope that the doctors there will address my concerns with the side effects from the Domperidone. It seems that every drug has a side effect. Maybe I should just schedule breast reduction surgery while I'm up there. Ha!

Annie15

Hey old friend

Thanks for responding. I'm am bound and determined to lose some of this weight but I need to figure out what my metabolism is doing. Maybe Mayo can help with that. I've been seeing a dietician and she has been very helpful so I'm still trying to get a handle on this rotten condition. I just need to start wearing my "hippie chick" dresses and letting things expand!

Hope your doing well!

Annie

Annie15

Hey NancyL

It can be very depressing carrying all of this extra weight. I'll keep you posted on what Mayo has to say about that. In the meantime, I'm erring on the side of comfort and buying bigger more comfortable clothes. My husband has gained weight too so we're both expanding together. I'm going to increase my exercise to workouts 4 times per week. I'll see if that helps.

Hang in there!

Annie

BlueSue

Dear Annie,

I feel your anguish. I also had to increase the sizes on all my clothes. I was just diagnosed last month and have not yet accepted the fact that looking pregnant is seemingly going to be my new look. That would be fine if I were young enough to pull it off. I'm not!!! I am not on any medications because the side effects are too scary and I have no Rx coverage.

I get very depressed whenever I encounter myself in a mirror or am sitting on the couch rubbing my belly like I were a Buddha. Oh well.

Annie15

Maybe we all need to get together and have a Buddha Belly party. I would just once love to spend the day with a fellow GPer and let it all hang out. We could compare stomachs and the latest styles in expandable clothing. And fart and drink smoothies...

BlueSue - I know it's depressing. There are times that I just hate my body. I don't even want to be seen in anything tight fitting because I look so bloated and out-of-proportion with the rest of my body. I'm still determined to get this weight gain under control. How much weight have you gained since the diagnosis?

Annie

busyteacher

OK, we are merely "fashion innovators" here. If you wear the long, floral skirts, you can look quite trendy. Throw on a pair of Birkinstocks and a backpack, and everyone will just think you dress like that on purpose. A denim jacket helps the "crunchy granola look".
Nobody knows if your pants are elastic waist if you wear your shirt untucked. Fortunately for us, tucking is out.
If you wear the long skirts, you can lose the hose. Never have to go above a knee-high, another plus.
I prefer drawstrings to elastic, less pressure, and then I can measure the bloating by the inches left before I reach the end of the drawstring.
We are "comfortable with ourselves". It's a sign of maturity and self-acceptance. You are very self-actualized.
I worried a lot about this clothing thing and my size, until I realized that some of my favorite people were very overweight--and I think they are beautiful.
I still have issue with the swollen ankles, but that's the last battle I am fighting.
It probably took a lot of work to maintain a size 8. I know it took a lot of work to maintain my size 10. And watching it disappear was painful. But now I exercise (more gently) and try to focus on my health, instead of my mirror.
I have also given myself permission to buy jewelry (which is sizeless) that I love (not expensive--fun) and to wear PJ's whenever I am in the house (drawstring) with a men's shirt. It looks a little more--dressed than the sweats do to me. I can even throw a t-shirt on, leave the overshirt open, and wear the jewelry.
And, my ironing has been reduced. Welcome to Downy spray. You'll love it.
Maybe someday I will be back to my size again, but I won't have to buy new clothes. I'll just wear these looser. Somehow, now that 40 has hit, I doubt it.
One of my students (an unusual child) told me that "I was not fat, just well-stuffed, like a teddy bear." There is a definite difference there. I repeat it like a mantra:)
Feel better.

nanascorner

Getting rid of clothes seems apart of our journey as well learn to deal with our intestinal issues. Some of us gained weight because of medication. Some due to hormone issues and age. Some one us due to thyroid. Some of us eat so little our body goes into starvation mode and puts on weight on hardly any calories at all. I went to stretch pants and dresses 15 years ago. Now I can’t ware dresses unless I have stretch pants underneath in order to keep my legs warm other wise my fibro kicks in. .. Although I try my best for self-esteem to look my best, comfort for me is more important than fashion. But then I have always walked my own fashion road any way…

On the other hand, I have lost some weight this year, 30lbs… so there is always a possibility for weight loss, and then we get to buy new clothes!!!!!!!!!!

Annie15

Amen to loosing the hose! I actually find my new look alot easier to maintain. Everything is meant to be comfortable so I don't even look at stuff that is tight and binding. The hardest part is living in a rural area with few clothing shops. The few that we have are for the ultra-athletic, outdoorsy type (of which I used to be a part of). Size 2 is the norm. Any suggestions on finding clothes on-line?

I worry about this weight stuff but I'm with you. Many of my favorite people are much bigger than I am. And guess what, they are happy people.

plushy

Hello Everyone,
WOW, weight gain , it sucks but i was always a bit large
and i lost weight at first but here i go again back up but everytime i eat something and it stays down i get so excited i gladly put those drawstring pants on.
I like it when i get up in the morning and i look smaller than the day before, but give it 10 minutes and that image goes out the window...
I had to go shopping for new clothes, no more zip up jeans. I think we all could design our own line of clothes. There is not alot out there thats updated unless you go to the pregant section and at 51 thats
hard when a 18 year old comes up and asks 'when are you due' i just say any minute and watch the look on their faces. my husband laughs because he is 70 and it makes him stick his chest out!!!!! Go figure

Have a good night.
Marie

mcmarie

Hi Annie,

I was in your shoes for the last 8 months. Slowly getting bigger and bigger. I couldn't believe that I had gotten to a size 20 and 230 lbs yet looked much smaller than other women at my weight. My sweetheart of a boyfriend kept telling me it was okay and that I am very tall and have an athletic frame....but I didn't feel that way. I was down to eating two meals a day because I had no appetite because my stomach hurt pretty much all day long, and yet I kept bloating up. And then about 2 weeks ago, the other side of this disorder reared its ugly head and out of the blue I was vomitting for 3 days straight. All I could attempt to keep down was water. I thought at first it might have been food poisoning, but I had no other symptoms. No runs, no fever. I've had it before and I've never been sick that many days in a row. My gastro told me that it wasn't the flu or food poisoning but my condition. Now I'm dropping weight very quickly...still not eating that much. It's a daily battle to keep from puking. If I eat just a few bitefuls over a certain amount I either will vomit or I'm in such excruciating pain I can't stand it. So all the big clothes I just bought...now are starting to fall off. In fact....today I had to make a belt out of a pair of sweatpants drawstring. This disorder has me so angry. But knowing that I'm not going through it alone helps a lot.
When I thought that I wouldn't have anything to wear...I realized that the tunic is making a strong comeback....it's comfortable, loose and hides it all very stylishly. My closet is full of them. Also the empire waisted maxi dresses and blouses are great for a bigger bust (I know, I'm a 40 DD) and are so comfortable. If you ever need leads on wear to go, just contact me. I'll hook you up! Hang in there, Annie. We all have your back here. Big hugs, and stay strong.

mcmarie

Old Navy online has a great plus size section. I shop from it all the time. Also, Torrid is a fun one. A little more on the goth side, but they have some great tops there.

Pammers52

Don't forget about the really nice maternity jeans... we bought my daughter 2 pair that were fairly expensive but with the cute long tops that you can get cheap almost anywhere it was worth the investment... then focus on a cute "do" and earrings and you can look as good as everyone else....I know you look better than you think you do, or feel you do....don't be sad, get a new style because I'm sure you will look great!!!

BlueSue

Annie,

I gained roughly 15 lbs in a period of roughly 2wks to a month. Unlike many on this site, I suppose I am lucky in that I'm still able to eat. Not a lot but at least it's still possible. The weight thing is just so frustrating, diet, exercise nothing seems to make any difference.

I think the Buddha Belly party is a great idea, drink, fart, belch and be happy without having to worry about offending anyone who doesn't seem to understand how this GP thing works (including me) :)

GinaB

Dear Annie, a Budda belly party!!! OMG I just laughed my head off, if you invited me I'd come with my big old belly. Thank You for making me laugh. BIG HUG Gina:))

Char

If you open my closet it is pretty full and there are lots of blue jeans and dresses that just have to hang out in there, because I never know what size I'll be able to wear. I cleaned it out a couple months ago, and got rid of a good bit. I got rid of some of my shorter shirts, just because my tubes stuck out to much at the bottom. It doesn't really matter to me anymore (it really did at first, several years ago) if people see them, or ask questions about them, and I guess it doesn't really matter if I have on a shirt long enough to cover them up, or my hickman, beause a majority of the time I have either TPN or tube feeds going in my backpack, and you can't hide the tubing going from the backpack to under my shirt. I don't wear a dress unless I can go where ever and be unhooked for just while I'm out, so a lot of the time, when going to church or somewhere I would want to wear a dress to I often go with a skirt and a shirt.
My most recent issue is everything being way to big. When I went off TPN a few months ago and went back to my tube feeds I had lost some weight, so my clothes were getting bigger. Once I was off the TPN I started loosing even more, pretty quickly, to the point that I honestly didn't have anything to fit, except for one pair of blue jeans and like 2 shirts. Then, another bad spell started again back in July, and lost even more, because I wasn't tolerating my tube feeds again. When I hit a bad spell I can loose a lot really fast. Just over a couple of weeks ago we started the TPN back, and put on 20 pounds in 2 weeks. Right now we aren't sure how much of it is actual weight, and how much of it is just water weight, because of my bladder issues I retain a lot of fluid most of the time. The next batch of TPN that they are bringing this afternoon will have a little less sugar and calories, just to keep it from going up to much more. They do tend to build me up and put a little more weight on me, so that the next time I hit a bad spell I have a little more to loose, just to have a little cushing. Even with this last 20 pounds coming on I can thankfully still get in the blue jeans I was wearing before I started the TPN. I've just had to learn to keep at least a little bit of range in the clothes that I have for when it goes up with things like TPN and when it comes back down again.
I'm all for pajamas and such all the time. I don't typicaly put on blue jeans unless I'm going somewhere. I probably have more pajamas then I do actual clothes. Some are more worn out, to the point that I only wear them in my house. Then, I have my "hospital approved" pajamas, because I will only wear a gown if I'm in ICU or in surgery. As soon as I'm out of surgery I'm trying to get at least some underwear and pants on. I even most of the time when I have a femoral line will still insist on pants and not a gown. One time, when I was sent from the clinic down to the ER to wait on a room, because I was being admitted and we didn't know I would be so we weren't packed, they gave me a pair of disposable scrub pants, but they were a one size fits all type thing. They were huge. I felt like I was M.C.Hammer in them. Most all my pajamas are way to big for me right now. They just fall off. I hate it when the draw string comes untied on its own and you stand up and they fall off. It's really bad when that happens when you are in the hospital and there are people around. I have also recently had to buy new bras and underwear, but still have the ones that are slightly bigger.
It's hard when you have no control over how your body looks. Most people can kinda choose how they want their body to look, to a certain degree. If they want to loose weight they can excerise and/or diet, and if they want to be a bit bigger they can increase their intake, but we can't always go by those things. It's kinda obvious with dealing with the gp that our body is going to do whatever it wants to do (ex: throw-up what we put in and/or when you get something in it sits there and makes us become distended). It can be frustrating when unable to find something to wear, but that just means when you are feeling up to it you can invest in some retail therapy.
Or, we could just all go get mumus that will cover bloating, tubes and such, or how frail your body can sometimes look when hitting a bad spell:)
Char

blesstforever

HiI just did the same thing on Tuesday. I was a 10 and now am a 16 . I eat because of the Domperidon now and about 1200 to1400 calories but now have nausea as I am emaling. I take 3 pills a day. I get mine pretty cheap at inhousepharmacy.com. My boobs wnt from 40C to a 44DDD in a week. Geeez. I know what your going through. I wish I could find someone in the Buffalo NY area to talk to about this nasty GP. This is a curse from HELL. Have a great weekend. Rae

blesstforever

Char I am new to this site and just want you to know I will be praying for you. I had 5 weeks in the hospital last year and lost 50 pounds . I have been blessed to not have to do TPN. I had the NG tube and a bile bag due to GP for 9 weeks but no TPN. My heart goes out to you and hope that things start getting better for you. How long have you been on this TPN cycle. God bless you richly Rae from NY state

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