Mandy101011

I lost 75 lbs.

This is all very normal. Don't let it get you too upset because it will happen over and over again. I was so frustrated at first because I would plateau and at times gain a few lbs. Luckily, my niece was 6 months ahead of me and would encourage me because she had been there over and over. When I would plateau my nutritionist would say to up my protein & it would help. I can say that sometimes days hungrier than others & usually lose more on those days. You may plateau for 2-3 weeks then lose 12 lbs in a week. Write your weights down & it will encourage you!

I did cream of mushroom & loved it.

Fried rice was a hard lesson learned for me too. I wouldve thought I was having a heart attack, but knew it was RNY related. Terrible pain, never again!

My surgeon gave me pain pills and I did great.

I did that one time 1 & 1/2 months out from surgery. If I did not know any better, I would've thought I was having a heart attack. It lasted about 45 minutes and came in waves. I was at the mall and bought Papya Enzyme to help break down the protein, but nothing worked. Finally, I threw up and the pain stopped immediately. I think the food got stuck and the waves of pain was peristalsis.

I know what it is like to be afraid, to wonder if something will go wrong. This surgery is not for everyone. For me, it was the greatest choice I ever made. Before I had surgery I read a line from the poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, that changed my whole perspective on the procedure, "Our deepest fears are the dragons guarding from us our greatest treasures." I am glad to say I am a dragon slayer!

My nutritionist told me that having your gallbladder removed and having RNY GBP both caused dumping symptoms, more so in the beginning. Personally, I had a difficult time getting used to food again and began having pain when I ate(which was related to the ulcer, but I didn't know it at the time). They gave me Levsin, but changed it to Carafate for my ulcer later on. Rapid weight loss often precedes gall stones and eventual removal of gb. My niece transitioned easier after RNY than I did & said she had no problems after her RNY, but that her digestion issues came after the gall bladder was removed. I think it's a lot to take in and I just had to learn to listen to my body. Most people have a period of adjustment after gb removal that lasts about 6 months or so. Would I have them together again? Absolutely. One hospital stay, one little extra scar, one recovery period, no more pain. It was a win win for me

Stalls are something you just have to get used to. I stalled 3 weeks very early on and remember feeling like I was the one that would not lose after having this big surgery. I did learn to write down my weight and it was encouraging to see just how much you lose over time.

Post op I was put on Prilosec for 6 months. I took it great for a while, but eventually stopped taking it all together. Life happened and I got very busy. I wish they would've said, if you don't take it you WILL get an ulcer. Now I'm just waiting on it to heal, which takes 6 weeks. :/

I loved cream of mushroom