Djmohr

I went on vacation to crazy Las Vegas right on the 6 week post op timeline. I felt absolutely fantastic and had been moved to soft food by the. I took my Protein shakes with me so I could start my day out right. I am purchased some Quest bars at the suggestion of my doctors office. If I had trouble finding something to eat I would slowly nibble on those Protein Bars. Apple pie and banana nut was my favorite. It has a lot more protein than baby food. I also purchased light string cheese. I was there for 10 days and I did extremely well during that time.

I am glad to hear that work helps. I was layed off from my job after 26 years there last April. I had to put my home up for sale and we are moving back to our hometown area of Milwaukee. We are currently in Minneapolis. It took 9 months to sell our home, it is a large property on 3 acres. Anyway, I did not want to get a job until we moved so I have been home since surgery in September. When you are home it is so easy to hit the fridge or pantry. I am hoping to get work soon after moving so I too can not think about the temptations in my kitchen. The good news for me is I eat pretty healthy but I wonder how much better my progress could be if I was at work. Thanks for the affirmation!

@@Onyx999, have you talked with the phsycologist about your worries. They can really help you work through some of your feelings. I do think the idea of going out and getting drunk with friends might be a bit concerning and I understand that it is a part of life however you will have to be very careful with this. It is a known fact that many bariatric patients trade one addiction for another and ultimately become alcoholics. It is one of the things your surgeon will warn you about. My surgeons office actually made me sign a contract stating I would not touch alcohol for the first year. They figure by that time you have built healthy food and drink habit. Also liquor has a lot of calories so it could cause you to gain if you drink a lot of it. You are not crazy for thinking about all of these things, we all do it. The reality for me so far is that your taste changes and most of those things are not even appealing anymore. I started getting heavy in my 20's and now I am 51. I wish I could turn back time and do this in my 20s. I feel like I gave up so much of my life being obese. If I had to do it all over again, I would make the decision to do this in my 20s so I could enjoy more of my life. That of course is easy for me to say as all of those experiences are behind me and I realize that they just were not important. I think if you talk through some of your worries with your phsycologist it might help you. Good luck to you, please keep us posted on your progress as you move forward.

Honestly other than changes in my diet, I really was doing pretty great by this point. You will just have to care of yourself to make sure you get your fluids and Protein in, it is sometimes hard to do that when your focus is elsewhere but I am sure you will have no problem. The other thing you might experience is fatigue. I just remember getting pretty tired in the afternoons. I actually went on a vacation for 10 days to Las Vegas at 6 weeks. As you know Vegas can be very active and I found myself having more energy after I really got moving. You might actually find the extra activity really helps you. Good luck!

Hi there! Sorry to hear that you have been struggling.i am glad to hear you have come out on the other side and are doing something about it. Great job on dropping some weight. Have you tried googling the pouch test? I know you are worried that you stretched your pouch out but I understand the pouch test will help reset things for you if you are willing to give it a try. I am so glad to hear your bi polar is back in check and you are recovering nicely. I wish you all the best!

Woot woot! Congratulations. I bet you are on top of the world today.

I am 5 months post op as well and I have not for one second regretted my decision to have RNY. I am down 82 lbs and 5 sizes. The most important thing is I have my health back. Diabetes gone, high cholesterol gone, sleep apnea gone, and most importantly i had stage 3 kidney disease and my kidneys are functioning normal! There is a lot of change that comes with the decision but I don't even mind the change. It is good healthy change! I was very ready and did not have a single doubt going in. I also had a very supportive husband who had my back. Don't second guess yourself but do make sure you are truly ready. If you are having doubts you should talk to your phsycologist. They will help you work through them. Good luck and keep us posted.

Your doctor can also help by doing a peer to peer with your insurance company. Did they say what criteria you supposedly did not meet?

I had terrible gas pain for the first week. I found that narcotics did not help at all. What worked for me was 3 things: 1. A heating pad while I was sitting/laying 2. Walking as much as I could 3. Gas x chewables Once I found the above which was the day I came home, I was much more comfortable. I stopped taking pain meds 2 days after I left the hospital. They just did not seem to help.

It really is about slowing down and chewing so well. I know that is hard to do but you will learn very quickly if you don't. Good luck!

@@sherriswain, the hypothyroid issue happened to me very rapidly. I was post op 30 days and my hair started falling out like crazy. I knew it was too soon for the surgery hair loss to effect me so I got in to see my endocrinologist and sure enough I had lost enough weight that my dose had to be lowered. It might be worth checking.

I am one of those folks that has lost a lot of hair and I am post op 5 months. I started losing almost right away and found that my thyroid was functioning better because of weight loss which was causing hair loss, also I happen to be going through menopause. I have had surgeries many times in my life and the stress from surgery causes me to lose hair. And then of course rapid weight loss can cause it. It's like a quadruple whammy for me. Now, The good news. First, there are no bald spots, it simply thins. It does grow back, I have sprouts everywhere! I have been told that it should stop soon (6 month mark), I am hoping that is true. My husband is always cleaning up my hair and it makes him more nervous than me. It is not as bad as people think in fact no one notices with the exception of my hubby who sees it on the floor, pillow etc.

LOL! Yes, it is coming from all the liquid protein. You can clear out the bathroom area for a while! It definately gets better as your diet changes.

Here is the thing, if you are still required to take all of them ( I don't know what they are for) they will either find the liquid form of those prescriptions or they will have you crush them and take them with yogurt. ( not a fun experience by any means). The good news is, this is temporary. After your tummy heals you will be able to swallow some of them whole. The other good news is, if some of these are used to treat your co morbitiies such as diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc, you will likely stop taking some of them very soon. I think the medication changes was one of the most positive non scale victories most of us have within a few weeks or days of surgery. I went from taking 8 differnt prescriptions every day to 1! Good luck on your surgery and keep us posted on your progress.

I would go to the doctor. I have not experienced this nor have I seen anyone talk about this previously. Could you have had an allergic reaction?

I am so happy for you! I think I was holding my breath hoping not to hear a bad news update. Congratulations and keep us posted on your progress!

@@msmisaacs, I was shocked to find out that your new pouch is so high up in your chest. I still have that chest pain when I eat too much or drink too fast. I checked with my surgeon and sure enough that is exactly where your new stomach is. You do get used to how your tummy feels when you drink too fast, don't chew properly or eat too much. You will learn you are in control of those things and you will learn to manage it. Good luck!

My nut encourages fruit in my diet and has since I was post op 4 weeks. it is good fiber and eaten in moderation the carbs won't hurt you.

Great job Alex! It will be interesting to see if you get any response whatsoever.

Costco will do a return without a receipt, they should be able to pull up your purchase history. I wish I was close to you, I buy 4 cases at a time and it is the only protein shake that I tolerate.

It is very interesting how surgeons differ in what they test for pre surgery. I had minimal testing done and of course it was based on my health history.

Right have the Fitbit charge and I absolutely love it. The inly time I take it off is to shower and to charge it. It requires a charge about once a week or so. When I bought it I was concerned about the band letting loose because I read the reviews on it but I really liked the functionality and how it feeds info to my fitness pal which I use daily to track my food. I have never had a problem with the band at all and I am glad I made the purchase. The only thing I would do differently is I would have purchased the Fitbit charge HR. It would be nice to have the heart rate feature.

Exercising pre op gets you started on building good habits and will help build stamina. Obviously it will help with weight loss before surgery too which of course is a good thing. I was immediately walking post surgery (a lot), it helps tremendously get the gas out of your tummy. At 4 weeks I began a more aggressive exercise routine.

Honestly it is not that hard unless you are eating something very dry or salty. When I have had something that is salty I definately watch the clock. But most meals are no problem and I have found that I can wait even longer.

@@lovedXJesus, don't be disappointed, be thrilled. From what I have heard it is an absolute nightmare if you get dumping, they tell me everyone can get it, some just get it easier than others, I try not to tempt the hands of fate. I can pretty much eat anything I want as well and yes I have had a bite of dessert here or there (very rare). I do believe if I ate enough of something sweet or overly fatty I would get sick. I feel blessed that if I have a real craving for something that as long as I start with eating Protein and good carbs first, I can have that bite without getting sick. I would not wish dumping on my worst enemy. I just believe we have to make ourselves accountable instead of depending on a really bad dumping experience to do it for us. Just my two cents....