Dear Debbie: Please don't be so hard on yourself. I had Lap-rny on August 20th, then on Sept. 28th I had emergency surgery for two obstructions in my small intestines; After that second surgery, I was so edemic!!! I was holding almost 30 lb of water. Like you, my body systems shut down (in this case, my kidneys) after about 2-3 weeks when I got out of hospital, then I started peeing that water weight off, currently I've had a loss of 50 lb of weight all together. Please give your body some time to heal and accept the differences. This surgery is quite a shock to your system----and I mean your whole system----including your mental health. It sounds like your surgeon must be inexperienced working with wls patients if he doesn't even know this. Maybe, I would (if possible) find another, more experienced surgeon to do your aftercare. The last you need is someone who doesn't keep in mind the complete hope you've placed in this surgery. Remember, try to keep your liquid intake up, and if necessary, talk to your doctor about the possibilty of being edemic. Also, just be calm concerning your progress, you will find, that eventually, when your body accepts what is happening, that weight starts to melt off. Remember also, if you are older, and have experienced obesity for a longer period, your body is fighting the starvation effect, and is going to work hard for a little while to hold on to that fat. Please don't place your self-esteem in your body image; It's just causing you so much distress. You're a wonderful, beautiful person---Sincerely, Lori Ann