James Marusek

Thanks for the feedback.

I rarely look back in life about my past decisions. There is very little I can do about them one way or another. So generally I look forward. Change is part of life. Even if you try and keep things the same, change will happen whether you want it or not. The best you can do is follow a path that creates changes that are for your good. Prior to my RNY gastric bypass surgery 3 years ago, I was obese and my health was severely being affected by this weight. So essentially I would refer to the surgery as a Reset to Normal. The real me inside of me is the same, only the outer shell, the husk, has changed.

I would stay away from complex carbs including bread for the first year after surgery.

You don't need to rush the process towards solid foods. Take it one baby step at a time. Whenever you try chicken it must be tenderized. The way to do this is slow cook a chicken breast in a covered pot of Water with a bouillon cube for a few hours until the meat is so tender that it comes apart with your fork.

As I became obese, tables at restaurants became important requirement. It wasn't that I couldn't fit in a booth. But whenever I sat in a booth and ate, the food seemed to land on my shirt or floor rather than my mouth. So tables became very important. I could swear that the seats in airlines have become smaller over the last couple decades. Some of this may be due to my obesity, but I think a lot is due to the airlines trying to squeeze in a few more seats into the airplane. And the seatbelt no longer extend. I hate to sit in the middle seat because my body extended into my neighboring seats and that must drive the other passengers insane.

I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery. Prior to surgery I sweated profusely. Even when the temperatures approached 32 degrees F, I would drive around with the car window open. When I worked outdoors, I would come in and my shirt was totally soaked. After surgery, this condition went away. I no longer sweat profusely. But on the flip side, I do feel the cold, the chill in my bones. Thank God someone invented hand warmers for when I shovel snow in the wintertime.

Good luck on your upcoming surgery.

I don't recall any problems using Crystal Light after my RNY surgery. My surgeon prescribed omeprazole [over the counter Prilosec] after surgery for the first year. This was not for GERD or acid reflux but rather to allow my stomach to heal. Protonix is a similar medicine. So perhaps if you took a proton-pump inhibitor, this might help you.

I used Quest bars. They taste good, have around 21 grams of Protein, and next to no sugar. They come in a variety of flavors and have Fiber. Fiber is important because they aid against constipation.

Good luck on your surgery. The class is important. They gave me and inch thick binder with a ton of information about the surgery and post op requirements.

Congratulations on your revision.

Good luck on your surgery tomorrow. I remember waking up in the recovery room and walking back to my hospital room. I began walking two hours later and then every two hours around the clock. It was more difficult the first day because I had to drag around a pole with wheels that held all my I.V.s. in place They would unplug me from their electronic sensors and I would begin my walks with the pole. I was in the hospital for two days and got around 2 hours sleep the whole time. So try and get as much sleep as possible tonight.

The three most important elements after 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. It is also important to get in about 30 minutes of walking each day or equivalent exercise. During the first few weeks after surgery, many patients find that they cannot meet the daily goals. This is because their body is in a major heal mode. Just keep trying to achieve these goals and over the course of a few weeks you should be able to get there. There can be several causes that can rob you of energy. A lack of vitamin B12. Dehydration from not drinking enough fluids. Adverse side effects of pain medication. And many others. But the focus should be on protein, fluids and Vitamins.

After surgery my taste buds changed and many things were difficult to eat or drink. Many Protein shakes tasted terrible. In the end I used Muscle Milk Light (vanilla creme) Protein powder blended with Water with a half a banana. This is what worked for me. But the main key is to experiment until you find something that works for you.

After RNY gastric bypass surgery I became lactose intolerant. Anytime I drank milk or products that contain lactose, it was an instant trip to the bathroom with diarrhea. This condition lasted for around 2 months. So I stopped drinking milk. Some Protein shakes contain lactose so beware.

The three most important elements after weight loss 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. I had RNY gastric bypass and I have to take many Vitamins but Duodenal Switch patients even have a heavier load of daily vitamins to take. After surgery many patients find it difficult to meet their daily fluid and protein requirement. This is because their body is in a major heal mode. Generally if they just keep trying to reach their goal, they will get there after a few weeks. Your taste buds can change after surgery. This can affect the taste of food, of Water and other fluids and or protein shakes. It is important to experiment until you find something that you can tolerate. You don't have to like it, only tolerate it. There are many forms of protein shakes available and it is important to try these until you find something that you can tolerate. Some people find Isopure to be a good alternative. I tried some and hated it but my wife tried it and liked it. So it is all a function of finding what works for you.

If it is acid reflux or GERD, one of the best over the counter medicine for this condition is Prilosec. But it seems very strange that you experienced these conditions because of a test. When I looked up EGD - esophagogastroduodenoscopy on the internet, I found this link https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003888.htm which describes the Test, Why the test is performed, Abnormal Results and Risk. According to this article, one of the risk of performing this test is Spasm of the larynx (laryngospasm). Laryngospasm may be associated with different triggers, such as asthma, allergies, exercise, irritants (smoke, dust, fumes), stress, anxiety or commonly gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. GERD is a condition that occurs when the ring-like muscle that normally closes to keep the stomach's contents from backing up doesn't work right. With reflux, harsh acids from the stomach rise up into the esophagus and cause irritation. So Yes this test can apparently cause laryngospasm which has a relationship to GERD. So contact your doctor and let him/her know that is what you are experiencing.

After surgery Walk, Walk, Walk. It helps with the recovery process and also helps with pain management. Also make sure they have a trapeze bar installed above your hospital bed. It makes it less painful for you to get up out of bed after surgery, so you can Walk, Walk, Walk.

Congratulations.

After RNY gastric bypass surgery, the part of your stomach that process fats and sugars has been cut away. Therefore if you consume these, they will pass through your stomach and intestines and you will experience diarrhea. When I look at the ingredients of Optifast

I am 3 years post-op RNY gastric bypass surgery. This short article describes my experience. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

Good luck on your upcoming surgery.

After surgery my beverage of choice was Crystal Light. Now several years later it is Bai. I buy it by the case at Sams Club when it is on sale.

Congratulations on your surgery. It will take a while for everything to return to something approaching normalcy. I think I was at the 6 month post-op mark when I reached my happy state and most of the problems were resolved.

Since you are at the beginning 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. On this change alone, I lost 20 pounds pre-op.