Alex Brecher

On June 30th, I had my Gastric Bypass reversed, due to a hernia and small bowel obstruction 😞 It was a 6 hour open procedure. I was hospitalized for 9 days and it’s going to take a bit until I fully recover. After having some form of weight loss surgery since 2003, my anatomy has been put back to normal. I’m sad that I no longer have a tool to help me with my weight but I’m glad that I’m alive and able to talk about it. Thank you to my friends that prayed and supported me through this difficult time!

His name is Arie Oren and this is very old news. It happened back in 2011. The judge sentenced the 66-year-old doctor to 4½ to 9 years behind bars in 2013. He's a sick sick person and I'm glad justice was served. I feel really bad for the 5 women he molested.

I have to say it's really not half as bad as I thought it would be! I hook up a pressurized ball to the PICC that contains the IV for 30 minutes each morning. I'm pretty much back to my normal routine.

I personally use Calcium soft chews 3X per day. You can find a nice selection of them at the BariatricPal Store.

I'm not sure what this has to do with the original article? Yes, Premier protein was sued because they lied about how much protein was included in their protein. My article was on the TYPE of protein used. Premier uses less than 1% Whey Protein Isolate. This is a serious issue, especially for weight loss surgery patients with malabsorptive procedures.

The clear premier protein is a great option since it's made from 100% whey protein isolate. It's a bit too sweet for my taste buds and I personally prefer Protein20 (grape is my favorite flavor.)

I'm not telling you to buy BariatricPal products. Although I wouldn't complain if you do 😁! My point is to use products that are 100% Whey Protein Isolate, regardless of the brand.

I was released from the hospital a few hours ago and I'm doing much much better! Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers. It really meant a lot to me. I have a PICC line and giving myself antibiotics by IV once per day for the next few weeks. It feels great to be home again.

I use BariatricPal Multivitamin ONE "1 per Day!" Bariatric Multivitamins from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/bariatricpal-multivitamin-one! BariatricPal has a secret offer just for this group where it'll cost you only $99 for an entire year supply! Check it out at https://store.bariatricpal.com/products/bariatricpal-multivitamin-one-1-per-day-bariatric-multivitamin-capsules-yearly-subscription With just ONE convenient & affordable BariatricPal Multivitamin ONE each day, you can get the bariatric vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy! BariatricPal Multivitamin ONE was designed and developed by a team of the world's leading Bariatric medical professionals. Please take a calcium supplement separately to prevent interference with absorption of iron. You can view a large selection of bariatric friendly Calcium supplements at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/calcium.

Nope. No symptoms. It came on suddenly. Thanks!!

Only on antibiotics for now. Thank you!

I’m back in the hospital 😞. I developed a double abscess. One within the posterior right hemipelvis as well as one in the the left hemipelvis.

I was told that it's under 1%.

Oh my! Looks like I started a trend!! Glad yours didn't require reversal. I hope you get well quickly!!!

You know me well! Yes, I had someone bring my laptop to the hospital once I was feeling a little better 😂😂😂 Thank you!

I revised from Lap-Band to RNY and was at the lowest weight I've ever been when I revised. Good luck with your revision!!

There's under a 1% chance of this happening to other RNY patients. I wouldn't freak out over it! The ride to the ER was 8 minutes and it seemed like it was the longest ride I've ever taken.

It's closed up from the inside. The outermost part of the skin is left open to promote healing. I have to pack it daily with a wet bandage, covered by a dry one and wear an abdominal binder over it.

I finished eating a (cauliflower crust) slice of pizza and started feeling massive pain in my abdomen. I'd previously had an ulcer and though that it was back and acting up. I popped an anti-acid but the pain kept getting worse. I was standing over the toilet spitting up bile when I noticed a little blood mixed in. That's when I called emergency services and told them I needed to get to the ER asap. I got to the ER a little after midnight and had emergency surgery about 6 hours later. Those were the 6 longest and painful hours of my life.

Thank you! I'm on a very high-calorie and high-protein diet to promote wound healing. I think I've changed my habits and lifestyle enough that I'll be able to keep most of my excess weight off. Only time will tell!

I'm actually back at work today! 😊It should take about two more weeks for the wound to heal. I have to pack and clean it daily, which isn't very fun.

It's not really open. The incision is actually sutured at the lowest portion of the skin. The wound is left open like that so it heals and doesn't get infected. If you look closely you can see it's starting to close up at the top of the wound. Gastric Bypass reversal isn't a simple procedure but it's definitely possible, as you can see. Good luck with your surgery! I wouldn't let my complication worry you!!

There's a risk associated with all bariatric surgery. What happened to me happens to under 1% of gastric bypass patients. It was just bad luck.

This is uncalled for. Don’t post if you don’t have anything positive to add.

If there were one straightforward aspect of weight loss surgery, it would be weighing yourself. Get on the scale, read the number, get off the scale. Done, right? Not so fast! The scale can be one of your most important tools on your weight loss journey, but only if you use it right. Surprisingly enough, using the scale right can take more than a bit of planning, just like many other aspects of your weight loss surgery journey. The number you see can jump around and start to drive you crazy if you do not know the reasons behind the blips. These are some reasons for some ups and downs on the scale, and how to prevent or at least accept them. Hint: It is probably not yet panic time! Up: Salt (Sodium) Did you have a salty meal last night? Did you snack on pickles, top your chicken with salsa, season your turkey burger with soy sauce or another salty condiment, or help yourself to a big salad with fat-free dressing? Those are all great choices for weight loss, but not for today’s weight. Are you confused? Here is the explanation. Sodium, which we mainly get from salt in foods, has no calories and is one way to add flavor without fat or sugar to food so you can keep calories down for weight loss, But, sodium attracts water. Eat a high-sodium meal or snack, and your body can retain water. You may feel bloated and notice your ankles or fingers swelling. That water inside of you is heavy, and the scale will tell you so. Tip: Do not eat a high-sodium or salty meal or snack the day before your weigh-in, or keep in mind that you did. Up: Stress Long-term, stress eating can add fat to your hips and pounds to the scale. Short-term stress can bump up your weight, too, without overeating. Stress hormones lead to water retention and (see above) water is heavy. Tip: Don’t stress out! Easier said than done, but being aware of stress can help. So can exercising, laughing with friends, and meditating. Up: Big Meal, Day, or Weekend Remember the part about how sodium attracts water? So do extra sugar and carbohydrates. It takes an extra 3,500 calories to gain a pound of body fat, but y you are likely to see your weight jump if you eat a big meal, or have a cheat day, or get out of control on the weekend. That sodium and those carbs can add up more quickly than you expect. A single restaurant meal with rolls or breadsticks, a burger and fries, and a small dessert can have over 5,000 mg of sodium and 200 grams of carbohydrates. That amount may “only” include 2,000 calories (barely over ½-lb’s worth of body fat), but it is enough to bump the scale up as much as a few pounds the next day. Tip: Do not eat too much! If you do have a cheat meal or day, do not weigh in after it. Most people consider Mondays to be a bad day for a weigh-in because weekend diets are often less strict than weekday eating patterns. Up: Lack of Sleep Do you ever feel groggy and heavy when you do not get enough sleep? The scale will confirm that it is not your imagination. You can retain water due to hormonal shifts when you do not sleep enough. Over the longer term, sleep deprivation can make you gain “real” weight (body fat) because lack of sleep: Increases ghrelin, which is a hormone that makes you feel hungry. Increases cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. Reduces your ability to resist cravings. Tip: Get enough sleep. It is not a luxury that is beyond your control. It is an important part of your weight loss lifestyle, so make it a priority. Down: Dehydration Weight loss is one motivation to exercise, but losing too much weight with a single workout just means you are dehydrated, not that you burned off pounds of fat in an hour or so. The scale can show you a low number because you sweated a lot. It can be motivating, but it is not healthy. Dehydration can lead to fatigue and to later water retention – and a bump up on the scale! Tip: drink 8 oz. of water every 20 minutes while you are exercising intensely. Weigh yourself before and after your workout, and drink 16 ounces of water for each pound that you lost during your workout. Down: Sudden weight loss Have you ever started a diet and seen the pounds come off quickly at first before the weight loss tapered off? It may have even happened after WLS if you were one of those patients who lost 10 or 20 lb. within the first weeks. A good portion of that weight was water weight. It happens when your body shifts from gaining weight (or being stable) to losing weight. What happens is that your body loses carbohydrates that were stored in the form of glycogen. Glycogen holds water. When you lose the glycogen suddenly by going low-carb or low-calorie, you lose water, too. So, your scale weight drops fast. Tip: Celebrate those first pounds lost, but keep working hard. Stick to your diet and stay hydrated so the pounds keep coming off for weeks and months to come. Now that you know that the scale can be fickle, you can concentrate on finding the balance between trusting the scale and trusting your diet. If you stay on track with your eating and workout program, and take care of the “little things” such as getting enough sleep and managing stress, you can outlast any bumps on the scale and come out stronger and lighter than ever.