POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

Hello all, I am 5 months post op and have lost 140 pounds, everything with my weight loss has been going great. OK I know that chewing tobacco is bad and that I should quit. But I am curious if there is anyone else out there that is post op and chews? Was anyone told by their doctor to not chew post op for reasons other than the normal health concerns? I have been chewing for the 20+ years off and on (I have tried to quit several times). I managed to quit before my surgery and managed to not chew until a couple of weeks ago. I am going through a divorce and I am starting to get my pre-op hunger levels back so with all of the stress I fell off the wagon. I have…

Hi, I am really at loss of words to express my concern. I had my surgery on may 24 and it's almost a month and half. I had 4 weeks of liquid phase and lost about 20 pounds. After which I was OKed to move to purée stage. I hit a stall ever since and that's not the worst, I regained about 8 pounds without any cheating or deviation from my plan. I am scared on what to do and currently super depressed about it. I know stalls are common and tried to get my mind of it, but regain is what upsets me most. Has anyone experienced it ? I don't know on how to proceed and food makes me scared. Appreciate any tips to get through this. 

So I'm looking at my medical records online and I see that I had a "gastrojejunostomy and resection of the distal part of stomach for gastric polyposis and refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease". I was like HUH?? Now I'm confused. I went online to look up the differences between this and the bypass, and some sites say they are basically the same, some say they are different because a different area is bypassed with the gastrojejunostomy, some say the gastrojejunostomy is part of the bypass, and I have no clue what to think. At no time did my surgeon ever mention anything other than bypass. No other words, procedures, names of procedures, etc. Just a bypass and removi…

Greeting everyone! I want to know how long after the roux-en-y gastric bypass was it before you were able to return back to work? I am so excited with mix with mix feeling. More excited than anything. My surgery is July 3 rd, 2023.

Hello good people! Today July 3rd, 2023 I had my surgery. I’m a little disappointed. I am glad I had the surgery, but due to my pancreas was positioned wrong. The Duo Switch was turned into a Sleeves. I am now wondering was it worth it after all. My surgeon told my partner that they going to have to CAT scan on my stomach/pancreas to ensure it’s not a cancer issue. I am bombed to find out I’m in this much pain and did not get what I thought would be done. Also, for me to know that my weight loss may not be as successful as I put my mind. The surgeon may have to go back in later and work around my issue to complete the Duo Switch.?? I read so many article where pe…

Sorry posted to wrong thread. Didn't know how to delete. Had my surgery June 12th. I am 3 weeks out and down 18 lbs! I just finished pureed foods and have started on a little bit of soft foods. I haven't really been hungry, up until today. Today I am soooo hungry. I'm not sure how to handle it. All I can think about is "real food". I had cream of wheat for Breakfast, a smoothie for lunch and Soup for dinner. I DO NOT want a Protein Drink (I am sooo sick of them and it is all I can do to choke them down now). I want macaroni salad and a hamburger, lol. Of course I am NOT going to do that, but where did this come from all of a sudden and what do I do?

Hi everyone! I am hoping someone can help me understand the process of Post-Op life. Like, how often do you see your surgeon after surgery? And for how long do routine visits continue? My situation is this. I am scheduled to get surgery on August 11th. I am rocking and rolling through all of my Pre-Op appointments and really excited for the change this will all bring to my life. But we are looking to move 1300 miles away some time in October. I'm guessing I'll need to find a bariatric doctor just to have someone to reach out to with any issues or concerns. But is this going to be ridiculously difficult? Do doctors easily take on patients if they aren't making th…

So I noticed over the last 2-3 days that the arm that I had the IV in is REALLY hurting, swollen a bit just above where I had the IV, and is firm to the touch. I had to get the IV in the crook of my arm because there were no other good veins. Anyway, this morning has been the worst so far, and it's gone from annoying to concerning. Anyone ever had this? Not sure if it's worth going to the ER for or if it can wait until tomorrow since today is Sunday.

First of all let me say thank you. This is my second time around I had gastric sleeve in 2012 which was very successful I lost over 200 pounds and have kept most of it off. Because of GERD and severe reflux issues, I had an hitial hernia repair and revision from gastric sleeve to bypass. I am little over one week out and I am struggling. I have to be readmitted to the hospital for blockage in my small intestine because of swelling. I just don’t remember the first surgery being this hard. I am in phase two which is puréed foods and I am regretting my decision please help. Does it get easier I feel so restricte!!

I am one week post op. I was told by my Doc to wait until 4 weeks out to have citrus but i was wondering if V8 juice is ok or is it also to acidic? Since V8 is vegetable juice not just tomato I thought it may ok and help me to get in a serving of vegetables. Tell me what you think. I certainly dont wanna irritate my sleeve! Thanks!

I have a work vacation planned in january. I will be 8 months post op and was wondering how much weight everyone lost within that time. I know everyone is different but im just trying to get an idea. HW: 325 SW: 296 5'7 Surgery date was 6/9/23

Hello All, I had my bypass on Valentines Day this year. So, I'm roughly 4 months post op. Prior to my surgery I was taking Wellbutrin 100mg 3 times a day. I haven't had any weight gaining issues with this medication. It actually had been helping me not want to overeat a bunch. Recently my Dr decided to add Zoloft 50mg daily in addition to my Wellbutrin. I haven't started taking it yet because I am having mixed feelings about it. I know I need something to help with the irritability I've had an increase within addition to what I am taking now. I do trust my Dr and him saying that he thinks that I am a good candidate for the medication, and he hasn't seen any weight i…

So - here is the real reason I stumbled into this forum tonight. Has anyone else noticed that their skin has a very bitter taste? That sounds a little weird. It's not like I go around licking my skin, but I do touch my lips with my fingers more than I realized. At first, I chalked it up to hand sanitizer and then my hand soap. But I use several different types of soap throughout the day. And I admit, I tasted my hand soaps and lotions to see if that was my problem. Nope. So, then, in addition to tasting funny(???), yesterday everything started smelling like there was coat of fuel on it. I was in my car when I first noticed it - the car is only a little over a year old - s…

Before surgery, whenever I'd have a sore muscle ,I'd take Ibuprofen because it dials down the inflammation and for me, it was my miracle drug . Now ,after having VSG,I was told I can't take them. I never asked if this was temporary or forever. Alot of Google replies said to avoid them for the first month only. What did your surgical team tell you?

Hey there everyone. So I feel like I may be alone in the world right now because there are no multivitamins that have all the required levels of vitamins for a gastric sleeve patient who is allergic to Iodine. I really want drink the least amount a pills a day but it seems impossible at this point. Someone with an Iodine allergy please tell me what you drink and how often. The vitamin requirements that my doctor is asking for is the following: Calcium - 1200 mg Vitamin D - 3000 IU Iron - 45-60 mg B-complex (including Thiamine B1 - 100 mg) - 50-100 mg B12 - 350-500 mcg The vitamin is preferred in chewable form so that the body absorbs the vitamins faster and go direc…

Hello all. I’m needing some advice or help. I had the sleeve December 21 and had lost 80 lbs. I still had 10-15 to get to my goals so I started mounjaro in may. I’ve done great so far and have lost 12 lbs! We increased my dose to 5mg on Friday; and I’ve been an absolute mess. My body feels insanely exhausted. Walking up stairs I’m huffing and puffing. I can’t workout. I’m exhausted. My anxiety is through the roof. I also am getting married next month as well as moving 3 days after the wedding. I know I have a lot going on and I’ve been truly ok with not being overwhelmed. Friday we increased the dose and I’ve just felt so odd. My body feels like it’s a million lbs heavy a…

I know that theres not many options wghen surgery was just a week away but I'm sick of boullion and none broth. Is egg drop soup ok strained by chance?

Hello I have had a lot of success after my gastric sleeve. Been six months since surgery . I got to a normal BMI the first week of May. Haven’t lost any weight since. I am by no means complaining. But my goal is to get my bmi around 23.5 so about ten more lbs. reasoning for this is because I heard some people tend to gain a little weight after surgery once they meet their goal. I want to keep my bmi in normal range hopefully for the rest of my life. Anywho, has anybody tried the pouch reset? Does it work? Would it help me to make progress towards these last ten lbs? Thanks!

I lost just 20 pounds since my sleeve two months ago. I was expecting to loose more weight by now. Did this happen to someone else?

I accidentally ate too fast and definitely over ate. Please tell me one time isn't going to ruin my tummy and stretch it out.

Im 2 weeks post op and on stage 3 of my diet so upgraded to soft reduced fat cheeses and eggs. last week I upgraded from liquid diet ro pureed beans and soups. I then tried refried beans and cream of chicken soup and gagged on both. I tried eggs today and it didnt make me gag but it just didnt taste good. I WANT MEAT!!!!! In 2 weeks I'm able to upgrade to shaved deli meats and fish so im excited about that but i feel like its going to take forever!!!!

On a regular diet now at 6 weeks post op and up to this point avoided getting sick. Today that changed. I had leftover grilled steak and a bit of baked sweet potato, plain. I stopped when I felt the restriction. Waited 30 minutes to sip water and the pain. Uhhh! Immediately threw up. Thought great.. got rid of it. Sipped again.. pain. Threw up. That's been going on for the past 6 hrs. It's almost like my pouch's stoma was blocked and the water just kept backing up so I continued to try drinking, hoping to bring up the obstruction. Finally water is going down so have to play catch up. Don't want to dehydrate. So is it possible to block the stoma with steak or p…

Ladies, how many of you have experienced missed periods with your rapid weight loss? I finally caved and took a pregnancy test today, which was negative thank goodness, because I was nine days late on my period. I think my husband was going to :puke: I am normally very regular so I knew something wasnt Kosher. I know that the rapid weight loss can cause the missed periods because of hormonal shifts, I was just wondering if it is pretty common side effect and alot of you have had it happen as well.

I feel a ashamed of myself for so many reason’s! I got my Vsg on 06/16/2023 I totally regret it. Honestly I rather stay with my health issues and over weight. It’s to the point where I would pay whatever I can to reverse this if I could. i have been hungrier I have cheated on my post op I have had a few bites of different things. I have 5 kids who I cook/lunch/snack prep for and honestly it’s hard not to be around food. I don’t know what to do and I reached out to my nutritionist haven’t heard back from them. I’m going to see my doctor Friday. All I want to do Is cry! ? I had got approved for this operation 4 times I didn’t go through the first three times because I hones…

I went into this doing a ton of research. I knew to expect the week 2 or 3 stall. But man does it suck when your experiencing it. I haven't got the scale to move in about six days and it just feels so discouraging. I'm only 16 days out from surgery and I know there's so many new things my body is trying to adjust to. I just feel so bummed right now. All the hormonal changes aren't helping with that either. Ugh I cant wait to get past this little plateau.

So I'm concerned, I'm 10 months post op, the first 5 and a half months I lost 70 pounds which is great but I have been the same weight for almost 5 months and I don't know if it's normal, I'm still supposed to lose another 20 pounds but I don't know if my surgery failed or what? My surgeon hasn't checked up on me since 3 months after the surgery. I've been on my own since then so I don't know, did I hit my limit? Am I not going to lose anymore weight? I've been consuming around 800 calories more or less every day now, but I'm considering to drop it to 400 to keep losing weight. Idk what to do I'm desperate, I supposedly have until August to reach my goal weight (the one s…

Hi everyone ! Im 17 days post op and I know i can’t drink til later on. But I was just wondering when did y’all start drinking. I also know carbonated drinks are a no go like beer and such. Im more of a cocktail person. Before surgery I was a social drinker.

I am planning to have my surgery date on June 8th. I have a trip across the US mid to end of July. How soon did you travel post op? How did you feel traveling so soon? Any recommendations on requesting to postpone my surgery date until after my trip?

Hey y'all I haven't posted in a while but I need y'all. I feel like I'm over eating. I've been eating 4 small meals a day but I stay active. I walk at least 3 miles a day and I exercise twice a day morning and before bed and my weight seems to be going up but now it goes back down. I'm sticking to my diet but my calorie intake may not be good. I need advice please help.

Hello, Is anyone else having excessive slim or spit in their mouths whenever they drink? It's been months since I've had this very sickening feeling in my mouth and stomach whenever I swallow. I'm not eating or drinking too fast. This is driving me crazy!!

Is anyone else getting dark stools after taking their multivitamins that have iron in them? It’s freaking me out.

I had sleeve surgery 4 days ago, May 12th. First, I developed a liver bleed and had to have blood. I wasn't able to move around and got fluid in my lungs, now I have uncontrolled bowel movements and I am pooping myself. It's Friday May 16th and I'm still in the hospital. I'm hoping to go home today. Please tell me the uncontrolled diarrhea will pass. I'm so discouraged. I'm wondering if I didn't make a huge mistake.

Sorry if this topic was already discussed, this is my first post here I had my surgery on May 22, it went great except for the first 13 days - I had the most horrible diarrhea I've ever had in my life. That's done (whew) but I'm so tired , I just drag myself around every day. I'm 69 YO . I was never really active except for short walks ,but now everything exhausts me. I was wondering if this goes away as time goes by . I'm at the purreed stage of my diet and I'm wondering if eating so little has anything to do with it. You can see, I'm full of questions LOL . Any experiences to share ? Thank you so much ...Kathy

I’m 12 days post op and i lost 20.9 pounds since surgery. I’m stalling and i wanted to know if its normal and what do I do ?

Hi all, I’m about 7 weeks post RNY surgery and have been getting some sharp shots of pain in certain areas of my body as I’m losing weight. The pain is mostly around the armpits down to the upper breast- burning pain shooting for a few seconds when I lean forward or twist a certain way. Another new place is the back of both arms and now a new place, near my groin. They don’t last long but they reoccur pretty regularly. I’ll definitely talk with my doctor about it but wonder if it’s a result of quick weight loss ( I’m down 50 lbs from my pre-op weight) and if anyone else has experienced something similar. I haven’t started weight training but I’m walking a fiendish amount.…

Help..... I am a very picky eater and need some ideas of what to eat after surgery

Hi, I’m 2 1/2 months post op rny gastric bypass. I want to eat but fear of gaining weight and possible vomiting are holding me back. So I don’t eat. The most I eat is once a day if that and if I eat it’s a pea to a nickel size amount. I read all this stuff online and it makes me feel like I can’t have anything. I’m frustrated at this point. I’m down 75lbs. I lost 35lbs before surgery to prep my body. I have been having cravings but no hunger pains. I fainted once and this new vertigo issue kills me every morning. I just don’t know what to do at this point.

Almost 5 weeks post op. Occasionally I will start dry heaving or retching. Not necessarily after eating or drinking either, it almost feels random. This happens 3 or 4 times a day usually. I don’t actually throw up, I’ve only puked once or twice post op. Is this normal? It really sucks.

Hello, I am one year out and I feel that I have went down hill. I’m starting to feel like my old self and feel that my pouch has stretched even though I don’t eat that much. anyone going through this….

Hi everyone! I’m about 6 months out from surgery and I’ve started to notice my skin getting super dry & peeling almost. It’s really only on my hips area and my lower stomach area. It’s not like your typical sunburn peeling but it’s definitely minimal peeling of some sort, caused by my skin being dry. I use cream & oil every night in those areas because I thought it was dehydration but it doesn’t seem to go away so I’m wondering if it’s a side effect of gastric? Has anyone else experienced this? Thank you! :)

Hey everyone ! I am 8 days post op and i wanted to know what kind of sweeteners you have used post op ? Im cleared to drink decaf and im excited to drink coffee but i can’t drink it just plain black ? can i use sweetener substitutes ?

I downloaded this app tonight because I had a really strong a visceral panic attack about getting the surgery. I’m 4 weeks post surgery today (6/9) and as I’m immersing myself more into regular life I’m feeling anxious about meeting my water and protein goals. And all around, what I’ve done to myself lol. Being in the house and managing recovery and eating is so easy, but it’s summer and I have many trips planned. My first real trip after surgery was this week (still currently on it). I took my daughter to an inclusive resort so she could enjoy herself. So far, it’s been easy physically. I’m not experiencing anything bad. However, packing food for it was really diffic…

Hi again! I have a serious aversion to Protein powders and all those nutritional drinks … I literally gag! Please pals, can y’all give me substitutes for protein meal replacements? Thanks in advance ?

So I have been really quiet on here because I was just trying to get rid of the last of the health issues I had going on. Polyps are gone and uterine fibroids are gone. I had an appt with my bariatric surgeon today and we discussed getting the revision now that I have a clean bill of health. Looks like it'll be mid July sometime. BUT...my revision is a little more complicated. Here's what I was told: Normally they leave the bottom part of the stomach when they do the bypass because there might be a need for a feeding tube at some point, or something like that. HOWEVER, with my situation, the part they would normally leave is where all the polyps were. So the surgeon is go…

Hi, So I’m 10 days post op and in liquid diet phase and it’s dreadful. My plan as per my dietician is 4 weeks of clear liquid 4 weeks of puréed phase and 4 weeks of soft foods before real food.I am fed up with my food now and want to have some real food. How do I overcome this?

Im 4 days post op gastric sleeve & I am soooo thirsty all the time but I cant seem to get a single tiny sip of water down without getting horrible shocking pains on the upper left abdomen area right under my breast or rib cage. Even one ice chip at a time hurts so bad. Anyone else experiencing this? side note, i tried a little mashed potato & it went down fine. Its the liquids that kill me.

Hello I am new to the forum. I had my surgery on the 25th of may 2023. I am worried I wont lose any weight or enough weight. Also can someone explain what I am suppose to eat on my soft diet. Dietian says one thing and surgeon dr.'s office says another. I have another issue and I am so ashamed, but it kinda hurts my stomach after 5 swallows of my soups or broth: but I ate a saltine cracker and did just fine and know I am worried i have sabotaged my diet and weight loss.

Hi, new here. I am 7 days post op and struggling with back pain. Unable to stand or walk for longer than 15 minutes. This was unexpected. Does anyone else have this issue?

Man I underestimated how uncomfortable the gas pain would be! I had my last pain med at the hospital around 8am. My dr doesn’t send you home with anything and tells you to use Tylenol. I’m so uncomfortable that I’m just camped out in my living room in the recliner. What day did the gas pains go away for you?

We’ve all heard that you need to be up and moving after surgery, tastes will be different, and so many other tidbits. But I have a few that no one has touched on. sleeping~ no tummy sleeping for awhile. I have been posted up in a recliner and when I sleep my mouth goes wide open and I get the nasty mouth funk. Brushing teeth~ I went to town trying to get the funk out but it made me gag which was uncomfortable. Be warned. Taking pills~ it’s not like before. One at a time with just enough water to get it where it needs to go. I have taken too much water and not enough, there is a learning curve. Do you have some tidbits to pass along no matter what stage you a…