Djmohr

I might have to order some of that for the mornings!

@@heynowkc

Thanks so much for sharing your story. Carbs are nasty little buggers and everytime i fall off and let them back into my life, I gain.

Your story is inspiring and educational. I am so glad you have been able to get back on the plan.

I have read that the tool is always there and it is nice to know that it is from your experience.

usually they use the weight from your first visit. I would ask this questions specifically to both your insurance company and the surgical team.

The wait if leveraged effectively, really allows you to build great habits. So once you find out, leverage the heck out of this time to break through.

Best of luck to you!

@@ausmith

I have been going through menopause for the last 4 years. The hot flash symptoms and moodiness were at their worst right after I had my bypass and then plastics. I was not sure if the surgeries actually made the symptoms worse of not but in general it stinks.

I must have had at least 25 body drenching hot flashes per day and many during the night as well. I chose not to take any hormone replacement or any other drugs of any kind. then in July following my brachioplasty i was absolutely miserable beyond belief.

I called my friend who is a distributor for Young Living Essential Oils. I decided reluctantly to try some oils to deal with my flashes which for me are the worst part of it. So, I ordered an oil called progenscence plus and in addition I ordered lemon, peppermint and lavender mostly because there are so many things that these oils will help with including Migraines.< /p>

Well, I started using that progescence plus rubbing a few drops on my forearms and behind my ears about 3 times a day. I swear within 2 days, all those horrible hot flashes stopped. I kept using it everyday until I ran out. I ordered another bottle of it but it was delayed in getting to me by a week. Within 3 days those darn hot flashes came back. I could hardly wait to get my new bottle.

Now, I use it maybe once a day and it keeps things under control.

I am now a true believer in essential oils for many things.

I cannot wait until I am past this stage of menopause. I am really hoping I am one of the lucky ones who's migraines will disappear with the other symptoms.

best of luck to you!

This is a great article and explanation. Thanks for posting it!!!

@@mrsNilla

Thanks for asking. I was going to send out an update so here goes:

It has been a rough week but this morning we actually got some very good and hopeful news. Up to this point they did not think Mary would survive and it was up to her and God to turn things in the right direction.

They have had her on both kidney dialysis and liver dialysis as well as full life support. Supposedly there are only 10 liver dialysis machines in the state of wisconsin and they have had her on it since Sunday night.

Well, as of this morning, her liver is trying to repair itself and things are improving. They took her off liver dialysis this morning and are hoping that her liver repairs itself enough to get her kidneys working. Right now, they are not functioning at all but supposedly that happens.

She is still on a ventilator but she is awake and aware of what is happening now. She can even communicate with nurses somewhat. If things continue to improve, they will likely try weaning her off the vent.

They did say that it will be a very rough and scary road as things improve. There are significant roadblocks to get through but she is fighting hard.

Thank YOU everyone for all of your prayers. The medical team did everything that could and she has been fighting for her life but as the doctors told us on sunday, monday and tuesday.....It is in Gods hands.

You are not doing anything wrong. This is part of the process and it will happen alot. Just follow the plan and the stall will break on its own.

If you get frustrated the best thing to do is to stay off the scale for now.

Best of luck to you!

I was told not to count calories either but tracked in myfitnesspal as well. My calorie count stayed between 400 and 500 for the first 5 months then I got into a long stall that lasted for 28 days. At that point my nut suggested adding 100 to 200 Protein rich calories and to back off my 1 hour cardio per day.

I did those two things and within 3 days, the weight started dropping again. You are right in line where i was at your stage.

@@dede0314

I had a full brachioplasty in July and then will be having a full TT, Breast lift with augmentation on January 19th. My surgeon asked that i separate mine like this and the arm lift was the most important for me so i had it done first.

I know alot of folks who had both arm lift and tt at the same time.

I am glad I didn't mostly because you cannot use your arms to lift yourself up so i used my abdominal muscles and leg muscles to get up and down. Not sure how i would have managed it.

Anyway, glad that i had my arms done, they look awesome but it was very painful for me. Lots of burning and itching. I am hoping my breasts don't feel like my arms did but am prepared for anything at this point.

I am worried about the pain in the next phase but excited for the gratification!

Best of luck to you!

@@Babbs

Right on sister!

I was approved in hours....yes hours and surgery was scheduled for 3 weeks later only because they wanted me on a 2 week liquid diet.

I hope your approval happens much faster and you get your surgery!

Has he said anything about a possible stricture? I would ask that question. I have known others with the same symptoms and they had a stricture that was not allowing fluids or food of anykind to go down.

I am sorry you are having a complication. I hope they get it figured out soon. I cannot imagine how weak you feel.

@@Jazzzyjay

Many times in that peer to peer discussion, denials are overturned. Lets hope in your case that is what happens. I will say a prayer for you.

Best of luck!

I am so sorry that you have been having this very serious complication. I worry about getting one all the time. I have psoriatic arthritis and osteo arthritis of the spine and I miss the relief i would get from Ibuprofen. I am in chronic pain every day. The only thing I take currently is tylenol and honestly it doesn't help at all. I also use heat and ice, meditation, bio freeze, tens unit....pretty much anything that will take my mind off of it even for a little while. Some days, it helps, other day when I am tired, I simply wish i could just go to sleep.< /p>

When the pain gets bad enough, I really want so badly to take an Aleve or go back on Celebrex. Then I read stories like yours and I remember that it could be even worse.

I really hope that things get better for you and the ulcer improves for you and you get your health back.

@@summerset

Also not angry, just dont need to deal with rude people such as yourself or take over someone's post with nonsense.

You're realizing you're kind or rude here as well, right? If not, I've got news for you: you are, my dear.

You can eat all the stuff you want and can cut out all the stuff you want. I don't care. If you want to believe in food magic, do so but stop throwing some wild theories (you would call that "nonsense" I supposed) about "not being able to lose weight because of being malnourished" like it's absolutely impossible to lose weight while being deficient in micronutrients. Of course obese people can be malnourished when it comes to micronutrients, everyone can, including people suffering from anorexia nervosa who obviously don't have any problems losing weight despite being malnourished.

You said you ate about 3500 cals before surgery and are now maintaining on 1300-1400 cal - a difference of more than 2000 cals a days - but hey! Math is nonsense! It's all magic!

It is very clear to me that you don't understand metabolic disease at all but you think you know everything. I might suggest reading up on it before giving your diet guidance to others. As of now, I don't care to argue or listen to your BS any longer so you will be one person that I simply block.

I wish you all the best in your approach and hope you get happy and healthy.

Sometimes I wonder if people post things just to get a rise out of others. Like, untrue things... just sayin'

Sent from my XT1585 using BariatricPal mobile app

And sometimes people are just being a horses rear end... just sayin. I posted and asked for help because I was desperate. You have a great night.

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using the BariatricPal App

Yes, unfortunately people can be real jerks. I learned this the hard way when I posted my mistake, bad choice, whatever the F/#^ you wanna call it-like it matters. You should go on my page and see what was written. Everyone will come out of the woodwork pointing fingers. What some people seem to have forgotten is that we obviously all have issues with food (food addictions) or else we wouldn't be on this forum. Yes, I understand you're scared because yes, what u did was risky and dangerous but u know this already. It's not like you posted saying....."I ate solid food and I don't give a flying &^/#!" So it's obvious that u know what u did was dangerous and you don't need an extra critic in you're life ...you need a good support system. That's what we SHOULD be doing for you. Some of us do....I would say that the vast majority dont. Those people that dont, should really take a damn hike. When I did it I understood that it was a huge mistake, I understood the danger I put myself in (after the fact). I told my surgeon at my two week post op and he said I was fine. He said... If you aren't feeling pain, your BM is normal, you don't have a fever,not throwing up....you're fine. Don't let them send you through the ringer. You know your body best. If you feel fine....then you're probably fine. I was terrified to tell my surgeon but I'm glad I did because he said it was no big deal and I knew that I would 100% be okay.....but If I hadn't told him..... I'd still be okay. The choice is yours to make and yours alone. Go to my page and look at some of the things people wrote.....you'll be so suprised-or.maybe not since it looks like you've attracted some real rude ones here lol. Also, those who supported and encouraged me wrote some things that might help you get through this.

Sent from my SM-G530T using BariatricPal mobile app

Glad I am not a newbie taking your advice. This is just my opinion and I am positive you could care less, but just because it turned out ok for you doesn't mean it will for the next newbie who does it.

This is a forum, and there are people who have been through this, some for many years. They are going to share experiences and concern when they see posts like this. Most folks responding her are concerned and asked her to contact her surgeon.

No where did I see anyone be mean about it. Every post was trying to help her see that she might consider getting some help to deal with WHY, she did this because at this point, her tummy is likely fine but will it be the next time? or the time after that?

It is clear that you don't care what others think when it doesn't agree with your point of view based on your vulgar responses.

I am older with 2 grown boys and 2 teenage granddaughters. I certainly hope they are not as vulgar when trying to get their point across. I would wash their mouth out with soap.

I think that it frustrates me the most when reading to a post where someone ate something that they clearly know they should not have 1 week after surgery is that other posters coddle them. They tell them stories about how they did something similiar and they turned out ok so therefore you will be ok. What?! Really? Just because you did not get sick and die, doesnt mean the next person won't. There is a very good reason they put you on a clear liquid, full liquid, pureed, soft foods and finally regular foods diet. Oh, and regular foods does NOT mean the crap you used to eat.

Those of us that tell them to get help or questions their decisions are called haters. Hmmmm....Now I know i am not a hater but i will say I believe people who are sabotaging this early on need more help than anyone on this board can give them.

They need a therapist who specializes in food issues. If you are breaking the rules 1 week out, when your stitches are still fresh, you are likely still swollen that is called sabotage in my book.

Down the road, these are the same people that tell everyone the surgery did not work for them giving WLS a bad name. I know because i have a nurse (yes, a nurse) in my doctors office that blames her failed WLS on the surgery and not her own behaviors.

Too many others who don't know it yet, need this cure for obesity. I will be honest, I don't want the non rule followers to ruin it for all those that need to come after us.

Those of us that have followed the rules and have been successful work hard at educating people who might need this surgery down the road to survive. So pardon me if their behaviors pisses me off. It can be absolutely exhausting but someone has to tell it straight.

Thanks for your post!!! I agree with you. I don't get why people do this and more importantly I don't get that they won't go get some help to learn to deal with their issues.

And for those of you that won't like my response and question whether or not I followed the rules....I did pre op and post op to the letter until about 6 months post op, then i started introducing small things. I wish i never had done that because now it makes it easy to do it more often. It makes fighting the rebound gain much harder to deal with.

Rant over......

Well the bad news is that I still have not heard back from my surgeon (thank goodness for these boards right....). The good news is that a) I'm still alive and I pooped! Whoo! Hoo! Thank you for the positive and understanding comments. Surgery was a very big decision for me and I have alot more work to do in the next year. Does having a problem with food make me human? ... yeah! I'd say so. Having weaknesses and imperfections MAKES ME HUMAN! I also have discovered that my caloric intake did not exceed 400 for that week so I was starving. To all of haters out there.... YOU ARE WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays people!

Sent from my SM-G900R4 using the BariatricPal App

First, I am not a hater. (I know you did not call me one), I am concerned for you. You state it was a very big decision for you to have this surgery? You need to find out why you did this so that you don't continue to have these problems in the future. You want this to be your chance at getting healthy, I assume.

The most important reason, I am suggesting you talk to a therapist is because you said you were starving and that is why you did it. Well, the truth is that is NOT possible 1 week post wls. Your stomach was cut and the hunger hormone is not present for several months in RNY and forever in the sleeve.

You can live on liquids for a very very long time before you actually starve. So this means the head hunger has already gotten to you. This is important because head hunger never goes away and you have to learn how to live with it and choose the right foods to ensure you loose and maintain your weight.

I am shocked that you were actually able to eat a whole half of a sandwich at one week post op. I am two years out and if I do have a sandwich, i can eat just a few bites if there is bread.< /p>

I do wish you all the best, but i advise you to get some help to deal with your food issues now, before it is too late and another person decides the surgery did not work for them when in fact they chose to bypass the rules. One rule broken will lead to another and another.......before you know it, you will wonder why it is not working for you.

@@LittleBill

The in person thing works SO much better than over the phone that is for sure.

My husband uses me....LOL. He will tell someone who is irritating him on the phone that if they cannot get it together, he will put his wife on and they certainly dont want that. LOL. Works for him most of the time.

When those smartphones come out where I can slap someone, i will be first on the list to buy one! 3 times today I could have used it. WTF, what is with the medical community lately???? In particular, the people who answer the phones.

I am on a rescue medication for Migraines. With all that has been going on lately, I am getting them every other day. I take a shot called Dyhdroergotimine. I give myself a shot and 20 to 30 minutes later i get back to my life with not even a slight headache nor any side effects.

Well, they have been out of it for months in the injectable form which is the least expensive yet most effective. This has happened before over the years so I tend to order a set of 10 every month just to ensure i have a surplus. Well, in June of this year it went out of stock and over the months i went through my back stock.

So, last month i called the manufacturer directly to find out when this med will become available. I was told that it is likely a ingredient that they are having a hard time getting. Of course i find this funny because you can get it in the nasal spray which by the way costs 3 times as much 3600.00 for a box of 8. The injections are 999.00 for a box of 10. The injectables work better for me. same ingredients and she never looked she said I assume this is why.

Then I proceeded to call my doctor and ask her to write a prescription for the nasal spray because there is no date in sight and I was completely out and suffering from a Migraine.< /p>

She quickly sent an electronic request to Walgreens. Walgreens processed it and the insurance company rejected it because it needed a pre auth now.

That is when the fun ensued! Ha.....My doctor immediately wrote up the request for preauth. The insurance company deleted it and there i sat for another 10 days not knowing no one was doing there job.

I got another migraine so i called Walgreens and was promptly told that it was out of stock for an undetermined amount of time. See, I am smart enough to know they are not even really looking at the right medication and are simply giving me a canned answer without checking. so i say how about you look in my actual file because i think you are talking about the injectables not the nasal spray. Low and behold when they look, they see i am right. Then they try pushing it through insurance again and again it gets rejected. They say, it needs a pre auth. I say, doctor wrote for one and it should be through. They say, cant help you call insurance.

Now....how many phone calls later, I am on the line with the insurance company who tells me that they cannot help me they need to talk to the specialty pharmacy. Thank goodness she stayed on the line with me for 1 hour 45 minutes. The specialty pharm lady then tells us finally that they deleted the pre auth because it needs to be handled by the insurance company. LOL......by the way, I have a migraine while all this is going on. The Cigna lady was awesome, she knew they screwed up and also knew they needed to fix it. She got a supervisor involved, and 48 hours later i finally had my perscription filled. all that time....still had a migraine.

Now fast forward to last week......I was down to my last 2 nasal sprays which i hate but they work. injectables still not available. I have no refills because we wanted to go back to injectables. I call Walgreens to order a refill. 24 hours later i get a notice saying this medication is out of stock and not expected in. Hubby goes there and the (very lazy) girl that works there says, oh no problem, the drug should be in tomorrow and then we can get it filled. I think "no way, could not be that easy". After 4 days of no notice that my prescription is ready, i call said lazy tech. She informs me that this drug is out of stock (again, automatic response without checking my file). I get angry and say, I am NOT talking about the injectable, i am talking about the nasal spray and i already know they are in your warehouse because my husband checked with the warehouse. She then logs on and low and behold they are in stock. She now says the problem is they faxed a request to my doctor 3 times and so far no response. I call doctor and they inform me they have never had a request, not one.

That was Thursday of last week. So, they electronically confirm the prescription. I again get no notice that my prescription is ready on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and so Monday i call pharmacy. I get the same lazy tech. She informs me they did not get anything from doctor. I call doctor, doctor has time and date it was submitted to Walgreens. Now, this is a 3600.00 prescription of which the mark up for them is 1600.00. I say how about you guys get your crap together and start taking care of your customers.

(Wish i had that smart phone so i could smack them right in the face!)

Well, still no notice that prescription is ready. Yesterday hubby drives to Walgreens and said lazy tech (same one) sees him coming and knows she is deep doo doo. She races back to get my prescription ready!

I spoke with the pharmacist and told him I have never ever had such horrible service from Walgreens in my life. And if they couldn't figure out how to get this moving forward, I would pull my families prescriptions and go somewhere else.

My husband came home with my new prescription yesterday while i was having one of the worst migraines yet.

Sorry for the long post but this is one example of what is happening. I so wish I had a phone that i could reach through and slap or strangle someone sometimes. LOL.

No headache today!

Stalls are normal and there really is not anything you need to do besides follow the plan. Your body will ultimately realize that you are not starving to death and you will start losing again.

Dont worry and stay off the scale.

@@ryhophop

Why did you do this? You need to contact your surgeon right away as you can damage your new stomach by doing this.

I don't mean to be rude, you obviously know you shouldn't do this but you need to get to the bottom of why you did it so it does not happen again.

Having WLS is 90% head game and 10% surgery so if you are already not following the rules, you are potentially going to have trouble following them going forward. This is just my advice but I would contact a therapist that specializes in bariatric patients.

@@teedsg

Less than 2 hours from start to finish. I was shocked at how quickly this surgery can be done.

Best of luck to you!

@@sugarbear234

I also want to tell you that I was anemic and malnourished before my RNY surgery. I no longer take any Iron tablets. The change of diet is an important part of how you stay healthy.

Not sure if you know this or not but many many many morbidly obese patients are malnourished. This comes from eating the wrong foods.

My anemia was resolved very quickly. In fact, I was shocked when they never even put me on an Iron replacement after surgery. My iron has been strong ever since.

Half the battle is learning that you need to eat differently. I always say, 90% of having WLS is a head game, 10% is about the surgery itself.

It is ALL about changing behaviors and eating differently than you do today. It is not all about quantity of food......

Hello everyone! So many great, inspiring posts here. I have so many questions; but will start with just a few; i look forward to everyone's advice and experience...

-how long does the average recovery take?

-what is the age range of people who have done weight loss surgery?

-what are some meals and how often?

-did you gain more confidence in life with weight loss?

-thanks for all replies.

Th

Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

In terms of recovery, everyone is different. I had RNY bypass. For me, the surgery was easy. The first night in the hospital was the roughest but that was brought on by the gas they pump in your belly during laparoscopic surgery. I would not call it pain, I would call it discomfort.

They gave me liquid vicodin in the hospital for two nights and then sent me home with some. I had surgery on monday, went home on wed night. Took my last dose of pain medication on thursday and then they switched me to liquid tylenol. That stuff is awful and i chose not to take it. I just did not have alot of pain.

The first week I was on a clear liquid diet and was simply focused on getting fluids in. That to me is the hardest part early on. You dont feel like drinking but if you dont, you get nauseous, weak and dizzy. If you do a good job then that feeling goes away.

By week 2 i felt pretty good. The hardest part about having weight loss surgery in my opinion is getting used to the new lifestyle and wanting to eat. If i was busy, and i was i would just forget to eat. Sometimes hubby would ask, have you had lunch yet? It would be 4pm. I simply wasn't hungry but you learn to eat on time to keep yourself healthy.

There are folks on this site alone that range from their early 20's all the way up to 70's+.

Not sure what you looking for with meals? My nut had me on a high Protein, good carb, well balanced diet from day 7. Lean Proteins, veggies and fruits. During weight loss i was to stay away from rice, Pasta, sweets, caloric drinks other than Protein Drinks. I also minimized potatoes. I would have them a couple times a week and then only after i got my Protein and other veggies in.

In maintenance, I began adding whole grains in and I do eat some of those other things once in a while but i am careful about how often as I dont want to gain back my loss.

As for confidence, hell yes! I carry myself different, dress different and feel fantastic. I had this surgery to get healthy as i had a BMI over 44 and was struggling with alot of health issues. It never dawned on me that I would even care about how I look until the weight started coming off and my confidence started coming back. Now, I am focused on how i look and what i wear all the time. Its weird how that works.

I am 53 by the way....I feel like i lost my 30s and 40s because i was so morbidly obese that i just did not care about how i looked or the clothes i wore. Everything i bought i did it because I had to. I was working in a professional setting. Anything I bought, i thought looked like crap on me.

Now, I try on clothes relentlessly just because I can and i know they will look good on me. My shopping definately changed, i love to go clothes and shoes shopping now.

Best of luck, Hope we are answering your questions. Feel free to reach out if you have more.