James Marusek

Congratulations.

Did they fold the dollar bills length wise? If so - yes.

If you have severe acid reflux (GERD), RNY is recommend over sleeve because sleeve will only make this condition worse.

According to the internet, kidney stones can cause horrible vomiting and abdominal pain. Since you are 8 weeks post op RNY and experiencing constant acid reflux and vomiting, there may also be another issue. Strictures can occur once you are about 4 to 8 weeks out from surgery. A stricture is a narrowing of the new stomach outlet where it surgically attached to the small bowel. Symptoms include difficulty with eating solid foods, developing increased saliva or mucous, reflux symptoms, and in severe cases, difficulty with liquids. A stricture, with time, can resolve on its own, but often the waiting time to heal can make you feel miserable. Once you are out at least 4 weeks from surgery, balloon dilation with endoscopy can be performed to open up the narrowing. Several balloon dilations might be needed to fix the issue. An endoscopy or an upper gastrointestinal study can help with this diagnosis. Since you are scheduled for an upper GI tomorrow, this might identify if a stricture is the problem. After my RNY surgery, my surgeon prescribed Prilosec (Omeprazole) for the first year to allow my stomach to heal properly. I had severe acid reflux before surgery and used Prilosec to treat this condition. I am now over 4 years post op and haven't used Prilosec after the first year and severe acid reflux is no longer the problem for me. If a stricture is not the cause of your problem, then perhaps you might try Prilosec for the first year.

If you haven't done this already, I would suggest you take probiotics. While in the hospital, they normally administer antibiotics to you to counter any chance of infections. This not only kills the bad bacteria, but also kills the good bacteria in your gut. It is important to reestablish the colonies of good bacteria after surgery. The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily protein, fluid and vitamin requirements. Food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Many people find it difficult to meet their fluid and protein goals immediately after surgery because their bodies are in a major heal mode. But just keep working towards meeting those daily goals and shortly you should be able to get there. It is common for your taste buds to change after surgery. Be willing to experiment. After surgery, my taste buds changed dramatically. Even water changed. In the hospital it tasted excessively chlorinated and I could not drink it, because it tasted like swimming pool water. So I experimented. Sugar free popsicles became my best friend. Some individuals find hot or cold can help with fluids. For me, I found that I could tolerate flavored water. So I began using Crystal Light. I also found a new drink Bai which I liked cold. In the winter, I found that I tolerate hot drinks such as piping hot cocoa. But you have to use the "No Sugar Added" variety. Also fine English teas were very good. The fluid requirement is met by a combination. It is not only the water that you drink each day. But also the water you drink when you take your vitamins and medicine. It is the milk you drink. It is the fluids content of the protein shakes. It is the water component of the soups you take. It is met by flavored water such as Crystal Light. It is met by sugar free popsicles. It is met by tea and decaf coffee. It is a combination of all the fluids that you consume during the day. Many experience problems drinking protein shakes. I hated them. But in the beginning I drank them, three 16-ounce protein shakes a day, in order to meet my protein requirements. You do not have to like protein shakes only tolerate them. There are many varieties of protein shakes available today. Experiment until you can find one you can tolerate. There are many different types of formulations on protein shakes. You don't have to like protein shakes, just tolerate them. I used Muscle Milk Light (Vanilla Creme) powder blended with water and a half a banana. That worked for me. But on the opposite end of the spectrum, you might try premixed Isopure. If you tried all the various varieties and still are unsuccessfully, then there is the fallback of fortified milk. 32 ounces of 1% milk fortified by adding 1 cup of dried milk provides 56 grams of protein. It also takes a dent out of meeting the fluid requirements. Mix up a pitcher and drink a little throughout the day. Without sufficient protein, your body will scavenge protein from other areas of your body, such as your muscles. Protein is extremely important after surgery as its job in the body is to build and maintain tissues including your body's major organs and skeletal muscles. Protein deficiency, when continued over a long period of time can cause a disease known as protein caloric malnutrition. Common symptoms are poor healing, fatigue, hair loss and muscle wasting. Immediate post op, protein promotes healing of the staple line and incisions.

Congratulations.

Congratulations.

Within the first year.

I went from a size 46 in pants down to a size 33. The area that was reduced the least was the part right below the belt line.

Just follow the program requirements that you were given covering vitamins, fluids, protein, exercise and meal volume and you should do well. Your weight loss will taper off the further you go post-op and eventually come to an end when you slide into the maintenance phase but you still have many, many more months to go before maintenance.

I had surgery at a Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery. These Centers of Excellence are available in many states. The Centers of Excellence provide a complete support for the surgery. There are many components that require a range of specialist beyond just a surgeon who specializes in Bariatric Surgery. They include nutritionist, psychologists, a hospital that specializes in bariatric surgery, staff that work insurance issues, pre-op testing, weight loss and exercise programs, bariatric surgery support group meetings, five years of post-op follow-ups. It is like a "full meal deal", no pun intended.

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

According to the manual I was given just before surgery, it read Food is measured by volume and not weight after surgery. I bought measuring spoons. Some sizes were hard to find. And that is what I used. This approach worked very well for chili and soups, which is what I primarily stuck to.

The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily protein, fluid and vitamin requirements. Food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Right after surgery, some patients report being tired. But it could be due to several causes. So it is a little hard to point you in the right direction. Normally before you left the hospital, I suspect they administered B12 vitamin in shot form. These are normally good for a month. But a lack of B12 could produce these symptoms. So you might check to see if you were given B12 and in what form after surgery. Dehydration can also cause these symptoms. According to the internet: The body's initial responses to dehydration are thirst to increase water intake, and decreased urine output to try to conserve water loss. The urine will become concentrated and more yellow in color. As the level of water loss increases, more symptoms can become apparent. The following are further signs and symptoms of dehydration. Dry mouth Eyes stop making tears Sweating may stop Muscle cramps Nausea and vomiting Heart palpitations Lightheadedness (especially when standing) Weakness Decreased urine output So to wrap things up, you should not be feeling extremely weak at 2 weeks post-op and you need to investigate the cause and run it too the ground.

Please don't get too stressed out over a lack of a bowel movement. Right after surgery it is common for individuals to not have a routine bowel movement. After all "liquids in = liquids out". If you really become compacted, then I would recommend glycerin suppositories that you have to shove up your rear end. Also have you started to take any probiotics. While you were in the hospital, you probably received antibiotics. This destroyed not only the bad bacteria, but also the good bacteria in your gut. You will need to reestablish this good bacteria by taking probiotics for a few days.

Congratulations Karen and let us know if we can be of any help.

Also be aware that some patients experience weight loss in their feet. They can drop a foot size and also the foot width can become less wide. Since you have already lost 108.6 or more pounds, this effect may have already occurred. But if you were a newbie, I might recommend delaying the purchase of custom fitted running shoes, until you reach your bottom weight.

I used Quest protein bars. These bars were good in that they had high protein, minimal sugar and also contained fiber. One of the problems that can plague those that had weight loss surgery is constipation. Fiber helps with that problem. These protein bars also came in a lot of different flavors. When I compared this protein bar with my protein shake, it revealed the following: A Quest protein bar contains 220 calories and provides 21 grams of protein. A Muscle Milk Light protein [2 scoops of powder in a 16 ounce glass of water] contains 210 calories and provides 25 grams of protein. So they are comparable.

Welcome. During my 6 months of pre-op diet and exercise, I attended bariatric surgery support group meetings. They were a good way to connect with other people that were also going through the same process. Since you are in the middle of this process, I would recommend three things. 1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success. 2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery. 3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.

I personally do not have a problem consuming sugar alcohols such as Maltitol. But I do not use Calcium chews. I use Citracal (calcium citrate) tablets for my calcium.

Your protein shakes do not count against your food allowance. Just make sure you reach the minimum protein required each day. Also use a protein shake that is high in protein and low in sugars. I always used measuring cups to measure out the quantity of food for each meal.

I tried Isopure, but the taste was awful. My wife seemed to like it. I used Muscle Milk Light (Vanilla Creme) powder blended with water and a half a banana. That was the closest thing I could find that I could tolerate.

I’ve actually been walking 2-3 hours a day for the past several months to try and cope with my anxiety. Not all at once but like I’ll go out several times a day for 20-30 mins. (Overkill much? ?) I’m probably going to go stir crazy post op when I’m actually unable to walk that much for awhile and that concerns me a bit. When I returned from the recovery room, I began walking every two hours around the clock. After the 2nd or 3rd time I walked (normally 5 lapses around the halls), I began to increase this to 15 lapses (around a mile). One of the nurses came in and scolded me. She said I was walking too much and that when the anesthesia wore off, I would be a lot of pain because I was walking too much. So I cut my walks back down to 5 lapses. Well I think the anesthesia wore off around 2 A.M. but I couldn't tell for sure because I did not experience any significant increase in pain levels. I also remember when the nurses came in the following morning to administer pain medicine, I declined the pain meds and the nurse gave me an ugly scowl. I don’t drink carbonated beverages but I am worried about hydration. How does one actually manage to consume 64 oz of Water a day when you have such a tiny stomach? That just seems so impossible to me at this point but I know others have done it so obviously I’m going to have to learn as well. It is common for your taste buds to change after surgery. Be willing to experiment. After surgery, my taste buds changed dramatically. Even water changed. In the hospital it tasted excessively chlorinated (like swimming pool water) and I could not drink it. So I experimented. Sugar free popsicles became my best friend. Some individuals find hot or cold can help with fluids. For me, I found that I could tolerate flavored water. So I began using Crystal Light. I also found a new drink Bai which I liked cold. In the winter, I found that I tolerate hot drinks such as piping hot cocoa. But you have to use the "No Sugar Added" variety. Also fine English teas were very good. The fluid requirement is met by a combination. It is not only the water that you drink each day. But also the water you drink when you take your vitamins and medicine. It is the milk you drink. It is the fluids content of the protein shakes. It is the water component of the soups you take. It is met by flavored water such as Crystal Light. It is met by sugar free popsicles. It is met by tea and decaf coffee. It is a combination of all the fluids that you consume during the day. I have avoided the before photo even tho I known it’s a good idea. I don’t want to know what I really look like right now. I’m going to try to make myself do it tho because what you said makes perfect sense. I may not want it now but having something to look back on will be good for me. Thank you! It is pretty important so please make the time to take a before photo.

Welcome to the board. 1. That is strange that they would not provide you with any pain medicine after the surgery. You might double check this. After my surgery, my pain levels were so low that I declined any pain medicine. Walking after surgery every two hours around the clock in the hospital helps to minimize the pain greatly. Most of the pain is gas pain and walking helps relieve it. One of the potential problems after surgery is ulcers. That is why NSAIDs are off the list of options for pain relief. You will be restricted from driving so long as you are on narcotic pain medicines. 2. After RNY gastric bypass surgery, you are required to take many vitamins for the rest of your life. This is because you body no longer synthesizes vitamins from food. That part of your stomach has been cut away, so this daily requirement is extremely important. Vitamin chemistry is important for absorption. Calcium supplements should be calcium citrate. There are also different chemistries of B12. I use the sublingual B12 and was told to use methylcobalamin. You cannot use a time-release version of B12. If you are taking iron supplements, it must be ferrous sulfate for the best absorption. Gummy vitamins are not absorbed properly and should be avoided. It is important to put a 2 hour separation between the vitamins that contain iron and those that contain calcium. So in my case I found that what works best for me is to take the iron supplements just before bedtime. I put my vitamins in a weekly pill container. I have one container for the morning and one for the night. And I use a very small glass bowl for my calcium supplements. I put my calciums in the bowl in the morning and take them throughout the day. If I am up and about I put my calciums in a ziplock bag and carry them with me. The directions I received after surgery was: Three Flintstone complete chewable multivitamins daily. Additional 65 milligrams elemental iron daily for menstruating women. 1500 to 1800 milligrams calcium citrate daily [this can be tricky because the dosage rate is per 2 capsules - therefore this can mean around 5-8 capsules per day depending on the size (petite or regular)]. 500 to 1000 micrograms sublingual B12 daily or 1000 microgram injection once monthly. 100 milligrams Thiamine (vitamin B1) daily for the first year and then weekly thereafter. But right after surgery, I lost my ability to swallow large pills and I had to crush them. It was like eating chalk. The only way I could down these was by mixing them with crystal light and drinking them down. Because they formed a paste at the bottom of the glass. I had to remix these and chug them down several times. Luckily my inability to swallow lasted only a couple months and then I was back to normal.

Since you only have a week to go, I would recommend three things. 1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success. 2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery. 3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.