James Marusek

I had severe acid reflux (GERD) prior to surgery. I am 3 years post op RNY gastric bypass surgery and GERD went into remission after surgery.

Some states have Bariatric Centers of Excellences. They bring together all the disciplines together to achieve a good outcome including surgeons who only specialize in bariatric surgery, hospitals with dedicated wings to their facilities, training courses, dietician, psychiatrist, insurance company specialist. After surgery they have follow up appointment with the surgeon and dietician. They don't just leave you hanging there. All under one umbrella. They sponsor bariatric surgery support group meetings throughout the state. I went through RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago through a Bariatric Center of Excellence in Indiana and was very pleased.

I am no doctor so take anything I say with a grain of salt. Lightheadedness can be a sign of low blood sugar. Some patients develop a type of hypoglycemia called "reactive hypoglycemia". Here is one link to the condition but if you search the internet you might find more. https://www.ridgeviewmedical.org/services/bariatric-weight-loss/enewsletter-articles/reactive-hypoglycemia-postgastric-bypass After surgery, the three most important elements are meeting your daily Vitamin, Fluid and Protein goals. So make sure this is not a problem. Also I never eat near bedtime. My body digest food differently when I am in a horizontal state than when I am in a vertical state. Also prescription drugs and even some over the counter medicine can have some adverse side effects.

I am 3 years post-op RNY surgery and most things related to Vitamins, fluids and Protein are routine. For example, I separate my vitamins into 3 groups. When I get up in the morning I put all my calciums in a small bowl. Every few hours I pop a few until they are gone. That way I get the right dosage. If I am up and about in town, I put my calciums in a small plastic sandwich bag with a zip lock and carry it around in my pocket. This works for me. All the other vitamins I put in weekly pill boxes. I have one for night time and one for the morning. I put any vitamins that contain Iron in the night time pill box and the others in the morning pill box. Generally a pill box will hold 2 weeks supply of vitamins. So I only need to fill them once every two weeks. This article provides some of my experiences and may be of help. It also includes recipes at the end. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

My body seems to digest food differently by its orientation. Therefore I never eat before bedtime. Otherwise it sticks there and I can't sleep. Sometimes I exceed the volume limit for my stomach and this can lead to dumping syndrome. The only way to resolve this is to sit up for a couple more hours and watch TV until my stomach settles down again.

Congratulations.

I haven't been back at my high school since I graduated. But I may go to my 50th class reunion this year.

Yes it is really an astonishing experience. Eventually I found that I had to get rid of all my old clothes. Everything even coats, jackets, belts, undies. Everything had to go. The only thing that remained was my shoes. Of coarse it can be a very rewarding experience replacing your wardrobe. Everything seems to fit from department stores, shopping and bargain hunting is fun, and you look good in all the latest styles.

Good luck on your upcoming surgery and let us know if we can be of any help.

In about a year. But for me (3 years post-op) my hunger is still fairly weak in comparison to pre-surgery.

​The first NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) covering 1976 through 1980 found that six percent of adolescents (ages 12-19) were obese. By NHANES 2009-2010 that prevalence had more than tripled — to over 18 percent, and by NHANES 2011-2012 it again increased to over 20 percent. Such increases are of course alarming because obesity during childhood and adolescence can bring with it significant morbidity, and frequently leads to adult obesity with its concomitant ailments and increased health care costs. Thus finding the means to reduce the progression to adult obesity is a significant health care priority. Some recent research may point to a means of doing just that. Dr. Laura M. Bogart, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and colleagues measured the height and weight of nearly 1400 seventh grade students at ten randomly selected Los Angeles middle schools. They used those data to calculate the students’ BMIs, and to determine what percentile of BMI — corrected for gender, age, Latino race/ethnicity, US-born status, and National School lunch Program eligibility (as a proxy for low-income status ) each student belonged to. Students at five of the schools were then assigned to an intervention, while those from the other five schools were put on a wait list for the intervention. The intervention was a program called SNaX (Students for Nutrition and eXercise) that combined peer-led education and marketing, environmental changes in the schools as well as encouragement to eat healthy cafeteria foods. The latter included a greater mix of healthy foods made available in bite-sized portions as well as chilled Water at lunch periods. “Clubs” of student leaders ran a social marketing campaign that included posters promoting healthy eating, cafeteria foods, and physical activity, as well as nutritional information about cafeteria foods—and there were taste tests of those foods and a film encouraging physical activity and healthy eating. Students in the intervention schools were given pedometers to use and were instructed in exercises they could do at home. The interventions lasted five weeks. Based on all students’ initial BMI, age, gender and other characteristics, the researchers projected what their BMIs would be two years later if their current growth rates continued. Then, two years later the students’ BMIs were again assessed. Initially, 30 percent of the students were obese; in the intervention schools the overall prevalence of obesity had not decreased by the two year reassessment. But for the students who had been obese initially, their BMI percentiles were significantly lower than the researchers’ predicted values compared to the BMIs of students in the control schools. The difference, according to the investigators, amounted to a 9 pound lower body weight for the initially obese middle school students than expected. Among other results, the investigators found that the intervention students chose more fruit and vegetables and drank more water in the cafeteria, and had more positive attitudes towards cafeteria food. They also were less likely to buy Snacks at school. Senior investigator, Dr. Mark Schuster, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, said “It was exciting to see that students were interested in eating fresh fruit when it was made available and that many students volunteered to learn more about healthy eating and physical activity so that they could help teach other students.” http://acsh.org/news/2016/05/25/intervention-decreases-adolescents-obesity/

I am not sure where this thread is going. It seems like there are many lonely people out in the world. Years ago during some class or other, I became aware that people fall into two classes: introverts and extroverts. An extrovert draws their energy from others. You put an extrovert completely alone and they go crazy. But you put them with other people and their energy levels go up and they are happy. But an introvert is the opposite. They derive their energy levels when they are alone and for the most part are happiest there. I am an extreme introvert. What I found strange is that when extroverts in the class found out I was an introvert, they immediately wanted to correct the situation by wanting to introduce me to others so that I could make connections. It was their solution from viewing me through their lense. So this approach might work in their situation but all I needed was a little peace and quiet. Technology has changed society today. In some cases people are more interconnected than ever before. They are constantly on cell phones even when they drive. Everyone knows exactly where they are every minute of the day. But this constant interconnect especially with strangers brings about a rudeness and a loss of interpersonal skills. So social isolation can led to loneliness, depression and they can factor into obesity. But not necessarily. But if one spends their entire day watching television or playing video games or on the internet, I could see how they could gain some weight.

Good luck on your upcoming surgery and let us know if we can be of any help.

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery when I was 64. I am now 3 years post-op. This is my before and after photo at the 6 month mark.

I found that things generally get better day by day. When I reached the 6 month post-op mark, I finally reached my Happy State when many of the problems were finally resolved.

I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery.

Congratulations on your weight loss. I will pray that you find the cause of your gastrointestinal bleeding. My mom had something like that. It got so bad she had to have a blood transfusion. The problem was she was taking several Excedrin each day for pain relieve. These contained high amounts of aspirin, a blood thinner. This caused her after several years to begin to bleed internally. We took her off all the Excedrins and that solved the problem.

meats can be very hard on the stomach. I tended to stay with softer foods such as chili and Soups. meat in this form goes down easier. I have included some recipes at the end of the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

Good luck on your upcoming surgery.

I suffered from an impacted stool during my weight loss. The only thing that gave me relief was to place a glycerin suppository up my rear. But stay close to the restroom when you do. At least this help in the short term. Long term, constipation can be caused by a lack of fluids, so stay hydrated. These are some of the other recommendations from past post to relieve constipation. Apples with the skin Smooth Move Herbal Tea Prune juice (warmed) Prunes (4 in the morning and 4 at night) Magnesium citrate Insoluble fibers (Garden of Life Raw Fiber or Renew Life Triple Fiber). Haribo sugar free Gummy Bears Aerobic Magnesium 07 Ground Flax Seeds (but don’t try to grind it yourself). Use 2 tablespoons per glass of Water every night before going to bed. Low Fat Bran Muffin (recipe). 80 calories each 1 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups bran Cereal 1 ¼ cups milk 1 egg ½ tablespoon applesauce optional: banana, berries, mini chocolate chips Bake 400° F for 22 minutes

Congratulations and good luck on your surgery.

I am 3 years post-op RNY and this is the approach that I used in the Maintenance phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

After surgery your body is in a major heal mode so it is common of patients to be unable to reach their Fluid and Protein requirements. But keep working at this each day and eventually you should get there. The three most important things after surgery is meeting your daily protein, fluids and Vitamins requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. One thing to remember on your daily fluid requirements is that everything counts. The Water or milk you drink. The fluid in the Protein shake. The water you drink to swallow your vitamins. The water component of Soups. Flavored drinks such as crystal light. Tea and decaffeinated coffee. Some people find temperature makes a big difference in their tolerance of fluids. Some like it hot while others like it cold.

It is very common to hit plateaus during the weight loss process. Just make sure you are meeting your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. And walk about 30 minutes each day (or equivalent exercise).

The full feeling generally happens when you transition into the solid stage. Also become very aware of the strange symptoms that come just before you are full. These are things like sneezing, hiccups, mucous buildup, instant food taste changes. They are warning signs for dumping syndrome.