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IIRC, the constipation comes after surgery, not before - although not everyone has issues with it. Some people do have diarrhea post-surgery (especially the first week or so), but constipation is much more common, and it can become chronic. I don't remember if I had any particular BM issues during the pre-op liquid diet or not (may not have had many BM's at all given we weren't eating solid food), but I suspect your system is just whacked out by the change.

Do you have a health care portal? I've found sending a message to my doctor through the portal is a good way to go if I have a question. Usually the nurse will respond within 24 hours, and if needed the doctor will give me a call. It might be better to get your concerns addressed that way. I'm sorry you didn't get to meet with your surgeon.

If you plan to get skin removal surgery and want it to be covered by insurance, make sure you document with your doctor ALL problems with skin rashes, sores etc. It isn't usually covered since it is considered cosmetic but if you can show a history of problems, there's a better chance of it being covered. I have lost over 100 pounds and have some loose skin, but I am getting cryo therapy twice a week. It helps to produce collagen and tightens my skin as the weight comes off. If I had waited till I hit goal weight, I don't think it would have been as effective. I also sit in an infrared sauna which has its own list of benefits. Rebounding helps too. There are some alternatives to surgery. Being proactive is important but it also depends on the amount of weight you have to lose and DNA. When I had rashes before losing the weight, I used a baby powder/cornstarch blend to keep the area dry. Moisture can make things painful and possibly infected. Good luck!!

Thank you! Everyone’s messages is making me clammed down with my sad emotions. I feel the same about the sleeve surgery, I was pretty much ok after 2 -3 days after the sleeve, and didn’t have allergic reaction to the glue. The feeling after the revision was completely different so I guess I was shocked of how much I am going through. I was under the anesthesia much longer this time and I am still feeling dizzy, sweating from doing nothing right now. The nurse said my body is trying to get rid of the anesthesia from aspiration. Hoping to feel better soon.

I was fine after the sleeve as far as the surgical glue goes. But after my revision from the sleeve to bypass due to a lot of complications, I developed a major allergy to the glue. So when I had my hernia surgery, they had to do a lot of internal stitches, which was A LOT more painful. But overall, even though the first week or so after your revision has been rough, I promise you it WILL get better.

I found I was allergic to derma bond after having skin removal surgery. Yea - the itchiness is awful. They put me on prednisone for ten days, and it cleared it up. weight loss is always slower after a revision than it is after a "virgin" surgery. Five lbs is great, though. And actually a 20 lb loss the first week would be very unusual, even with a virgin surgery. Maybe for folks on "My 600 lb Life", but not a for an average WLS patient. I lost 16 lbs the whole first MONTH. emotions can be wild the first few weeks after surgery - and so can regrets. This will pass - just hang in there!

The pull and twist sensation is most likely a stomach spasm. It is one of the rarer side effects of bariatric surgery. I got them too, and mine happened even with water! My surgeon told me they'd go away after a few weeks and sure enough, between weeks 2 and 3 they magically faded out! You have to be veeeeery slow with eating and drinking. The pain on the inside that feels like your stomach weight is causing it is completely normal. You have a lot of internal sutures and there are anchor stitches to keep things in place, those are often the most painful and take the longest to heal! I couldn't lie on my side for a few weeks without propping up my stomach with a pillow under it because the pulling of my stomach sideways caused intense pain thanks to the anchor stitches. I think it took about a month to 6 weeks for that to fade completely. Bariatric surgery is not a sprint, it is a marathon. Healing takes time and a generous amount of patience. The more impatient and annoyed you are with your body, the more agitated and anxious you will get. All the things you have described sound fairly normal for 11-12 days out from surgery. I'm sure your surgeon will tell you that at your follow up appointment! Be sure he knows all your concerns. It takes about 3 months for those internal sutures and cut nerves to heal up completely and start sending clearer signals to your brain. But the pain from the incisions and internal stitches should go away within 4-6 weeks. I'm sorry your team didn't explain to you how gradual recovery is and how slow it can feel... You can do this! When you see the scale moving it'll help ease the frustration. LOL

I'm February 22nd. I believe my pre-op diet is 10 days of liquids.

I think your goals are admirable. So many get caught up in how much they lose, how fast or slow they lose, how long it takes, etc. as they’re losing. Of course when we’ve lost our weight we all feel pretty darn happy about what we have achieved (& deservedly so). How you eat after you’ve stabilised is really up to you & how you want to live your life. If eating carbs fits in better with your lifestyle & your family then eat carbs. Just maybe choose better carbs - complex, whole & multi grains, low processed versions, smaller portions, or less often. You’ll work out what & how much of certain foods or food groups you need to eat, can eat, can eat occasionally, or those you may be better off avoiding. It’s your choice. Of course we can’t go back to how we used to eat - that’s just asking for trouble 🙂. Accompanied with this may be that your weight settles a little higher than at your lowest as you work out your caloric needs (what your body needs to function effectively to maintain your weight & activity level), eating style & lifestyle preferences and that’s okay. For me deciding not to call how I ate after I stabilised a ‘diet’ was a positive mental move. I’m not on a diet this is just how & what I eat. Diet had such negative connotations & memories for me: restrictions, being limited, missing out, etc. & failure. Personally, I cut out a lot of sugar & generally avoid artificial sweeteners & sugar substitutes whenever I can so I don’t eat cakes, biscuits, desserts etc. except a couple of times a year like Christmas. Don’t miss it. Don’t feel I’m missing out or being restricted & my friends & family accept it, no fussing or pushing me to eat. For example my niece was serving out cake for her 13th birthday earlier this year. When she got to me she asked what I’d like and added we have strawberries too. (I had strawberries.) It didn’t happen overnight but slowly it became just me. All the best.

not all bariatric diets are low-carb. Some are balanced. Also, once I got a ways out, I mostly just counted calories (although making sure I met my protein and fluid goals) losing weight via exercising is of course possible, but really tough. People overestimate how many calories they burn by exercising. According to research, exercise is much more effective in helping to maintain weight than it is to lose weight. Of course, it's always excellent for your overall health and people should do it (if they're able to, of course) - but as the primary weight loss tool, it's supposedly not that effective (well...unless you're spending a few hours a day at the gym or are into running marathons - that kind of intensity would probably do it!) I'm eight years out and have never reached the point where I've been able to eat without being concerned about my weight. I know from experience that if I eat too many calories for more than a couple of days, my weight will gradually start heading north again. Honestly, a lot of my never-been-obese friends are the same way- they have to watch what they eat. Unfortunately I think that's the way it goes for a lot of people - obese or not. Not many are blessed with the ability to eat whatever they want and not gain weight. also, you'll eventually get to the point where you can enjoy the things you do now in moderation. Nothing is off-limits for me And DS patients can generally eat more than RNY and VSG patients because of the malabsorption (RNY has some malabsorption of calories, but only for about a year, and it's not as strong as it is in DS people). Although if I'm not mistaken, I think DSers do have to be more careful with carbs - IIRC, they don't digest them well - and I know traditional DSers don't have to worry too much about fat (but not sure about SADI patients) - but check with your clinic. They'll know for sure.