James Marusek

Congratulations on your surgery. Walking helps the pain go away. Most of the pain after surgery is associated with gas. Walking helps relieve the gas and work it out of your system.

I compiled the list over the past several years. Every once and awhile I posted the list. Someone suggested about a year ago that the list should be pinned. You request tripped me to repost the list and I was also able to pin it.

I had gastric bypass and it was when I tried to transition into the solid state that I could really feel it.

The following is a list of abbreviations commonly used on this board. ACL = Anterior cruciate ligament AGB = Adjustable gastric banding AMRAP = As Many Rounds As Possible (crossfit) AT = Aspiration Therapy BB = belly button bc = because BCBS = Blue Cross/Blue Shield BDD = Body Dysmorphic Disorder BED = Binge Eating Disorder bf = best friend BM = bowel movement BMI = Body Mass Index bp = blood pressure BPD = Borderline Personality Disorder or Biliary Pancreatic Diversion bs = blood sugar btw = by the way C25K = Couch Potato to Running 5K CBT = cognitive-behavioral therapy CC = common channel c diff = clostridium difficile cos or cuz = because CPAP = continuous positive airway pressure CRNP = certified registered nurse practitioners CT = Computed Tomography (commonly called CAT Scan) cw = current weight CXR = Chest X-Ray DDD = degenerative disc disease Dr. = doctor DS = Dumping Syndrome or Duodenal Switch EBT = Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies EGD = Esophagogastroduodenoscopy EKG = Electrocardiography ER = emergency room ESG = Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty ff = fat free f/u = follow up GB = gastric bypass GERD = gastroesophageal reflux disease GI = gastrointestinal GIF = Gastric Intrinsic Factor GNC = General Nutrition Corporation store GP = general practitioner or family doctor HBP = high blood pressure hr = heart rate hw = highest weight ICU = Intensive Care Unit Idk = I don’t know IGB = intragastric balloons IF = Intrinsic Factor IMHO = in my humble (honest) opinion IMO = in my opinion IUI = Intrauterine insemination LAP Band = Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band LES = lower esophageal sphincter lol = laughing out loud LSG = Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy med = medicine MFP = my fitness pal MGB = Mini Gastric Bypass msg = message NAFLD = nonalcoholic fatty liver disease NASH = Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis nf = non fat NG = Nasogastric NP = nurse practitioner NSAIDS = Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSV = non-Scale victory (“scale” means “weight scale”) NUT = nutritionist OA = Overeaters Anonymous omw = on my way Onederland = a magical place or destination for those trying to lose weight. It might correspond to attaining a weight in the hundreds or losing a hundred pounds. op = operation OSA = Obstructive Sleep Apnea OTC = Over the counter Oz = Australia PB = Productive Burps PCOS = Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCP = Primary Care Physician PICC= Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter PM = private message (email) PMS = premenstrual syndrome POSE = Primary Obesity Surgery Endolumenal postop or post–op = post-operation or post-surgery PPI = Proton Pump Inhibitors ppl = people preop or pre-op = pre-operation or pre-surgery PTSD = Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PVC = Premature ventricular contractions RA = Rheumatoid arthritis RH = reactive hypoglycemia RN = registered nurse RNY = Roux-en-Y RTD = ready to drink Rx = Prescription medicine RYGB = Roux-en-Y gastric bypass SADI-S = single anastomosis duodeno–ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy s/f or sf = sugar free SG = Sleeve gastrectomy SIPS = stomach intestinal pylorus-sparing surgery smh = shaking my head, scratching my head SO = significant other SOB = shortness of breath st = stones (a unit of weight measurement) sw = weight at surgery tmi = too much information TPN = total parenteral nutrition TT = tummy tuck TTC = trying to conceive Ty = Thank you. [but according to the urban dictionary “Ty” is also an abbreviation for “a total stud with a massive carrot”.] u = You UGI = Upper Gastrointestinal VSG = Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Vit = vitamin wks = weeks WLS = Weight Loss Surgery WOD = Workout of the Day w/o = without wt = weight

After surgery I became lactose intolerant. Any dairy product (including dairy in some types of protein shakes) would set it off producing and upset stomach and a quick trip to the restroom. Two months later my lactose intolerance disappeared. Another thing you should try is to take some probiotics. It will help with your digestion.

Congratulations.

In my gastric bypass eating program plan after surgery, it wasn't until 8 weeks post-op before I was allowed solids, like chicken and steak. Transitioning to solids is a very difficult transition. I found that softer foods such as chili and soups went down much easier than solid foods such as steak and chicken. I included some recipes at the bottom of the following article. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf Generally during surgery in the hospital you are automatically given antibiotics because there are a lot of dangerous germs in a hospital and surgery opens up a pathway for infection. Antibiotics kill not only the bad germs but also the good gut bacteria. It is important to reestablish your colonies of good bacteria after you come off the antibiotics. This is done by taking probiotics for awhile. This will help you gut process foods better and will minimize your frequent trips to the restroom.

According to the internet: Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery, and they are typically associated with inappropriate diet and noncompliance with a gastroplasty diet (ie, eat undisturbed, chew meticulously, never drink with meals, and wait 2 hours before drinking after solid food is consumed). If these symptoms are associated with epigastric pain, significant dehydration, or not explained by dietary indiscretions, an alternative diagnosis must be explored. One of the most common complications causing nausea and vomiting in gastric bypass patients is anastomotic ulcers, with and without stomal stenosis. Ulceration or stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy of the gastric bypass has a reported incidence of 3% to 20%. Although no unifying explanation for the etiology of anastomotic ulcers exists, most experts agree that the pathogenesis is likely multifactorial. These ulcers are thought to be due to a combination of preserved acid secretion in the pouch, tension from the Roux limb, ischemia from the operation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and perhaps Helicobacter pylori infection. Evidence suggests that little acid is secreted in the gastric bypass pouch; however, staple line dehiscence may lead to excessive acid bathing of the anastomosis. Treatment for both marginal ulcers and stomal ulcers should include avoidance of NSAIDs, antisecretory therapy with proton-pump inhibitors, and/or sucralfate. In addition, H pylori infection should be identified and treated, if present. So several individuals experience severe nausea after bariatric surgery. Nipping H. pylori prior to surgery, will relieve a major problem after surgery. It is a common infection. About fifty percent of the world's population has it. It is also difficult to kill. It is somewhat antibiotic resistant. I may take a couple rounds to kill it off using various cocktails of antibiotics.

Tealael - Interesting but it doesn't show up on my screen.

It doesn't show up on my computer. It might be because I have created way too many posts.

A king chess piece? Not sure what you are talking about.

When you lose significant weight, you are left with excess skin. Nowhere is this visible more than on your face. I developed very fine wrinkles; almost paper thin crinkles, all over my face. I looked like I was a hundred years old. I mean I am old but not that old. I think women have the upper hand on this problem. My wife told me to use Bio-Oil available in the drug stores. it solved the problem. I put a little on once in the morning and it is good all day.

As we lose weight, our clothes sizes drop. This includes not only the size around our waist but more subtle changes as well such as shoe size. I started receiving comments as I lost weight that I looked like someone who was emancipated from a concentration camp. Anyways I looked at myself in the mirror and I could see where the comments came from. It was my sleeve length. As I shrunk, my sleeve length grew. I looked like character Dopey in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. My sleeves hung down well past my fingertips. Although I had changed most of my clothes, I hung onto my coats and jackets. I had a personal attachment to them because generally they were the most expensive items in my wardrobe. So I went and replaced these, the comments stopped and I then lost another 20 more pounds.

I didn't change my drivers license photograph for several years after I had surgery and lost 120 pounds. Whenever I wrote a check and they asked to see my driver's license, I would give it to them and watch to see if they ever noticed the difference. They never did.

After my RNY gastric bypass surgery, I completely lost my hunger. This condition lasted for about a year and my hunger slowly returned. It was not as strong as before surgery. I am 4 years post op and sometimes I experience nausea. This occurs when I eat too much. Generally I recognize the pretriggers to dumping and I stop eating in order to avoid dumping. Assuming that you are not eating too much, perhaps you are experiencing a stricture. Sometimes strictures will resolve on their own. Anyways, this might be a subject to discuss with your surgeon and their staff.

After surgery I took no pain medicine after I left the operating room. In part this was because I wanted to be able to drive sooner than later. But because I walked everyday for 30 minutes prior to surgery for the year before, I really didn't have any pain. The surgeon will not give you clearance to drive if you are on narcotic pain meds. If you are doing long haul trucking, it is probably best to stop often and walk for a few minutes every now and then to prevent blood clot formation and use compression leg wear as @@Berry78 has said.

Sugar is my kryptonite. But fortunately today there are many sweeteners available for my sweet tooth. They include artificial sweeteners such as Splenda and natural low calorie sweeteners such as stevia. Many of these sweeteners are showing up on the product shelves of grocery stores. So it is a matter of reframing. I avoid processed sugar in all its forms (table sugar, high fructose corn syrup etc.) but rely on other forms of sweeteners with zero or very low calories. I am 3 years post-op RNY. Before surgery I was on two forms of diabetes medicine to try and control my high blood sugar levels. That ended when I left the hospital two days after surgery. My diabetes has been in remission ever since.

Two thoughts cross my mind. First - there seems to be very little guidance once an RNY patient reaches the "Maintenance" phase, other than avoid grazing. (Whereas, the direction during the "Weight Loss" phase is very, very detailed - almost a book.) Second - The approach in the "Maintenance" phase is very different than during the "Weight Loss" phase for RNY gastric bypass patients. After surgery, the part of the stomach that process fats and sugars is cut away and consuming these items in quantity can lead to dumping. But after about a year, the intestines learn to process these elements to take up the function that was once performed in the stomach. Therefore patients can once again consume these types of food. The key to the "Maintenance" phase is hunger control. Fats can play a vital role in this area. Anyways more here. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

When individuals undergo weight loss, they may undergo ketosis. When you first reach ketosis, the body doesn't really know how to regulate the fats it breaks down. As a result, it makes a lot of waste ketones, which are then released in breath and urine. As time passes, it will become more tuned and the extra ketones will reduce. Until then, make sure to drink plenty of Water to help flush out the waste. After Weight Loss Surgery, your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. But in the process your fat cells are breaking down and being expelled from your body through sweat, urine, stool, and breath. After you transition from weight loss phase into the maintenance phase, this problem should be less noticeable.

There are 2 different phases to weight loss surgery. These are "Weight Loss" phase and the "Maintenance" phase. The approach on these 2 phases are different. I had RNY surgery 29 months ago. This short article describes the strategy that I used for each phase. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery2.pdf

Walking 30 minutes per day is very important in making the recovery process speed up. I had an exercise regiment 6 months pre-op that was focused on hill walking. After the operation I refused all pain medicines (because I didn't need any, I felt no pain.) I was up and walking almost immediately after surgery and by the time I left the hospital 2 days later I had walked 100 lapses. I walked every 2 hours when I was in the hospital. On the second night, the nurses came in and said, you were sleeping so sound that we decided to not wake you and skip the exercise. When I arrived home I continued the hill walking exercise routine for 6 months. I had a really really good recovery.

I suspect some of the answer may lie with the type of surgery. I asked my nutritionist "Why do some people have WLS and lose a lot of weight only to gain a major portion back later? Her answer was "grazing" which I interpret as snacking. I suspect that some people do not adhere to the Protein, Vitamin and Fluid requirement during their weight loss phase, and that also torpedoes the amount of weight they lose. Perhaps another reason is "guidance". I had a RNY. There is a great amount of detail in what foods and how much to be eaten at various stages after surgery. But when you achieve a good amount of weight loss, the guidance seems to disappear. I was in a weight loss stage for 7 months after surgery. I have been in a maintenance phase for the next 19 months. It is the maintenance phase that needs more guidance. I did a lot of experimentation and found my own way. And I am happy with it. This morning I was at my lowest weight so far. I exclude process sugars from my diet and I use fats to limit hunger. I no longer take protein supplements but rather obtain my protein from my meals.

Elizabeth, I am a little worried that the recommended dosage rates might be to high especially concerning resent research that shows an adverse effect to high dosage rates. http://acsh.org/2015/03/should-postmenopausal-women-take-calcium-supplements/

I recently came across a program on TV called "My 600-lb Life" on TLC. It is about individuals weighing 600 pounds or more who undergo bariatric surgery to loss weight. It is something to watch.

I had a RNY gastric bypass surgery 22 months ago. I found the (Protein, Fluid, Vitamin, meal volume) requirements to be very restrictive. It was difficult in the beginning. All food tasted bad, flavorless. The mono-food regiment lacked taste. I discovered that mixing food groups together added a measure of flavor. I transitioned into using high-protein homemade chili and Soups. They met the requirements and also had taste. I would mix up a pot and it would last me all week. Such an approach cut down the decision process. I ate the same meals very day, every meal. It tasted good. Just open up the refrigerator, pull out the food container, use a measuring cup to measure out the exact volume and place in a microwave cup and heat and eat. It worked for me. Generally the only decision would be to have a break from this routine every once and a while.