kiss-my-kitty

I have the same reaction to Tylenol 3 and Tylenol 4 - my bariatric surgeon chalks it up to an increased sensitivity to Tylenol. What about straight hydrocodone or oxycodone, or even dilaudid or morphine? I'm not sure what the culprit in Tramadol is, as I take it PRN for herniated discs and a shoulder injury and have had no issues with it. Does it help to "sandwich" pills in some cheese or yogurt? Take a bite of the food and swallow, take the pill, then take another bite. I did that in the past while taking anti-depressants, since they can cause minor stomach irritation and I have had problems with ulcers (TWO emergency perforations; and two ulcers in between - I have bi-annual EGDs to keep track of them, and am on lifetime prescriptions of Protonix and Carafate).

I hope my story provides you with some reassurance: I met my husband in 2000, when I was 16 years old and around 250 pounds, and he was 18 and probably 170ish. We worked together, talked and flirted for a couple of weeks, he asked me out on August 16th, 2000, and that was the official beginning of our relationship. He proposed a year later, we married in 2004, and when I gave birth to our first child that same month, a girl, I weighed 300 pounds. Two years later, in 2006, I gave birth to our second child, a boy, and left the hospital weighing 320 pounds. In 2009 I was at my heaviest -- 335 pounds. I had roux en y (gastric bypass) that November, and hit my goal weight of 165ish pounds two years after that. I'm now 5.5 years out and am steady in the 165-175 pound range (changing around antidepressants has been messing with my weight). My husband fell in love with me at 250, continued to love and lust after me at my heaviest of 335 pounds, and has continued to love me and be attracted to me as I lost weight and gained loose skin, and underwent several more surgeries (five) to fix RNY-related problems with my intestines, as well as a hysterectomy, and most recently a strangulated intestinal hernia. My opinion on relationships "surviving" after one person has drastic weight loss is simple: is the relationship strong to begin with? It takes a strong, healthy, happy relationship to be able to survive any type of dramatic or traumatic change. If your relationship falls apart after you or your partner undergoes weight loss surgery and continues on to lose a significant amount of weight, then the relationship wasn't strong and healthy to begin with.

I live in Lancaster, and Dr. Rogers at Hershey Medial Center did my RNY in November of 2009.

Hi @@LinKo! This post popped up when I was searching the forum for my surgeon - Dr. Rogers at Hershey. She did my gastric bypass in 2009; she has also taken out my gallbladder, fixed twisting intestines/scar tissue twists twice, jumped in for emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer, and most recently (May 11th) repaired a strangulated hernia in my small intestine. Anyway, just wanted to say that Dr. Rogers is AMAZING, and you're in very capable, qualified, caring hands. Her LNP, Lisa, is awesome quite awesome! And Bonnie Wilson, too - you'll probably meet her in the hospital if you haven't yet had surgery.

I'm five and a half years out from RNY, but I just wanted to chime in to say that the pre-op and weight loss surgery journey jitters and anxieties are not at all uncommon! There is so much to consider, think about, research, and ask about. Keep a journal of your progress - both in terms of medical appointments as well as your own dietary changes. And, write down questions and concerns as you have them, as it's all too easy to have a list prepared in your mind, but then forgot half (or even all) of it once you're in the doctor's office. Good luck!

I was in your shoes! I wound up having two EGDs (endoscopies) three months apart - each time they found a minor stricture (narrowing of the opening to the stomach pouch), and I was also diagnosed with "motility disorder". But that's just a fancy, quick way to say that my brain and new stomach weren't properly communicating with each other, so sometimes food would go down, and other times it would come back up. There was no rhyme or reason. During my first six to eight months post-op I spent a LOT of time throwing up my meals. A friend even joked I should have started plotting my "vomit spots" on a map - restaurant bathrooms, grocery store parking lots, the bathrooms of friends' houses, etc. One time I even threw up in a bubble-wrap-lined shipping envelope that was in my car, because it's all I had at the time! All I can say is: it gets better. If you have a day where solids come up, switch to shakes or pure liquids for the remainder of that day, and the day after just to play it safe, and to rest your temperamental pouch.

You're welcome. Laxatives certainly have their use, but for post-op the cramping they induce is especially cruel, lol. I prefer Miralax or Colase since they work differently and thus don't force any cramping or contractions. But when things are really blocked up, hitting the body from all angles - double dose of Colase chased with a laxative, and if need be a suppository -- will certainly help to clear things out!

How are you doing? Perhaps try adding a stool softener (Colase) to your daily vitamin regimen? I did that for the first year to ensure I was going on a regular basis.

I hope everything went well and that you're resting comfortably!

What you're experiencing -- and may continue to experience for months or even years -- is head hunger. You didn't stretch your pouch with one incident of eating more than you should, but doing so repeatedly could indeed cause stretching.

Lack of a bowel movement is VERY common after any surgery that requires anesthesia, and especially so with a bariatric surgery, since you're typically going without food for several days before and after your surgery date. I would recommend starting a daily regiment of Miralax or Colase (stool softeners). I'd skip the laxative unless you start to feel discomfort and need a "boost" - the cramping that laxatives cause can be quite unpleasant! Miralax and Colase, on the other hand, do not induce intestinal cramping - instead they bring extra water into the intestines, which produces larger, softer, smoother bowel movements that are easier to have.

5.5 years out, and I still have to make myself eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner; much like one has to remind/force oneself through the task of taking vitamins, flossing, taking out the trash, etc. I completely loss my sense of hunger, and I get no physical pangs.

I never had issues with reflux other than during both of my pregnancies, but during my gastric bypass surgery my surgeon found a hiatal hernia - and apparently that can be a common cause of reflux and the like. My mom also had one.

I unfortunately have had several complications that have required surgery, so using my experience, here's what I can tell you about abdominal pain: - upper center/right: gallbladder - upper center/left: ulcer - upper center/middle: ulcer/intestines (twisting/herniating) If your scan comes back as "normal", push for additional testing. Both myself and my husband (he did not have bariatric surgery) had "normal" HIDA scans, but continual upper right quadrant abdominal pain that often worsened after eating (and was also accompanied by bloating, indigestion, and constipation) - surgery for both of us found horribly scarred up, oversized gallbladders that were in desperate need of removal.

For anyone who's curious: I had pneumonia when I was a little over two months post-op, and again three years later (I'm now 5.5 years out). Pneumonia often starts out with a continual cough and a feeling of wetness in your chest/throat that you can't "clear". A high fever (100+) is common, as well as a bit of a sore throat, and body aches. Pneumonia is a no joke - even if you have to go to Urgent Care, make sure to get yourself checked out!

I honestly didn't feel like ME again until I was about four months post-op. But I did have a hiccup along the way - a nasty bout of pneumonia when I was two and a half months post-op!

As the others have said - I was always told that the 30/30 rule did not apply to protein shakes. But use your best judgment.

You had surgery the same day my mother did. I myself am 5.5 years out. Anyway, at the time of posting this you were only four days post-op! Unfortunately, misery is a common theme for the first week or two. Just go SLOW, and try not to worry about eating or drinking much at a time. Just sip, sip, sip - Water, chicken broth if you're able to. Slowly move up to things like sugar-free Jello, cream of wheat, pureed Soups, and so on and so forth. I promise that you'll be feeling much better by the time you're two weeks out.

You may find that Zzzquil and other sleep aids hit you faster and a bit harder; also, keep in mind that the key ingredient (Benadryl aka Diphenhydramine HCL) can be a stomach irritant - just something to watch out for if you're prone to ulcers or simply want to protect your new pouch from any potential irritation!

I never crushed, though I know of others who have and then mixed the bits into sugar-free applesauce, Greek yogurt, or mashed potatoes. I cut my larger Vitamins (multi, calcium). Post-op meds were liquid (Vicodin) and very small tablets (Pepcid). For what it's worth, a too-large pill that gets "stuck" is uncomfortable, but with time and drinking fluids it WILL go down.

Water has never been a problem for me, neither pre-op or post-op; but I acknowledge that I am one of those weird people who actually enjoy water. I prefer it plain, with or without ice cubes. I'll just echo what surgeons, doctors, and nutritionists say: carry a water bottle with you everywhere. Pick a big one that contains the day's goal (I use an 84-ounce one that I usually refill at least once!). Sip, sip, sip. Use Crystal Light or other sugar-free flavor powders or droplets to make it more palatable.

This is @@rosey442's daughter! I just wanted to pop in to say that she did great in surgery - she was taken to the OR around 7:35am, and Dr. Ku was finished by 9:25am. He found a hiatial hernia, but otherwise the surgery went as planned. @@lisaanewme67, good luck with your upcoming surgery! I hope these next few days go by quickly for you, as I remember that pre-op anxiety all too well.

Hi everyone! My name is Jenn, and I am very excited to be here. For years I have battling my weight, with little success. Despite watching what I eat, getting in physical activity what I can, even trying out alli for five months, I cannot seem to get out of the ten to fifteen pound range I am stuck in. I am 5'6'', and I currently weigh 297 lbs. Thankfully, I have no health problems. I have decided that the lap band is something I seriously want to do. I have thought about lap band off and on over the past two years, but since I did not have health insurance for part of that time, and was pregnant from Jan. 2004 - Oct. 2004 with my daughter, then breastfeeding for a year, then pregnant with my son from Nov. 2005 - July 2006, and then breastfeeding for fourteen months, it wasn't really an option. But now... NOW is an option. NOW is the time. My husband and I are content with two children, and I had a tubal ligation after having my son to ensure that we do not have any more. My son stopped breastfeeding a month ago, and now that he is almost sixteen months old, I doubt that he'll go back to it. And, best of all, we have health insurance coverage. GOOD coverage. So far, I have made two steps, two good steps I think, towards the lap band surgery. First, I called my insurance provider, Pennsylvania Capital Blue Cross PPO. I was told that provided that I meet the criteria of BMI, the procedure will be covered, barring my annual $1500 deductible and a 10& co-payment. Second, I made an appointment to see my primary care physician to specifically discuss the lap band surgery. So, where exactly do I go from here? I was seen regularly by a doctor for check-ups and minor illnesses and such from my childhood until I was eighteen. There was a break for about a year and a half while I was living on the other side of the state, but then we moved back, and I became pregnant with our daughter, so I had nine months of routine check-ups and weigh ins. Ditto for when I got pregnant with our son, exactly one year after having our daughter. I do have to have my doctor submit a letter/call to my insurance to authorize the procedure. Do doctors generally do that without much fuss or squawking? I'm very excited about the lap band surgery, but I'm trying not to get too excited, because I have fears of running into a crappy doctor that won't want to authorize the surgery! Lastly, the surgery itself does not make me too nervous, except the fear of going "under" for the anesthesia. I had a (necessary) c-section with my son, but obviously I was awake for it. However, I was very sick from the spinal and pain relief medications, and was half unconscious and vomiting for twelve hours after the surgery. So, I figure that if I can handle the kind of after-pain and discomforts I had with a c-section, which is pretty major surgery, what with being sliced open and all, I can surely handle the pain from a less invasive surgery with tiny little incisions! Anyway, enough of my ramblings... thank you to anyone that reads this and responds!

I believe it. After a five month stint on alli I believe I lost a sum total of, oh, let's see... eight pounds?

Thank you for your welcome and input! coolrn2000 - I worry about that. :/ I had my son in late July of 2006, and I believe it was the morphine that made me so sick. It took about twelve hours for it to work its way out of my system. But I will definitely mention my reaction to the meds and such to my doctor and surgeon. I was wondering - is there any specific wording I should use when talking to the doctor? Anything I should mention? Is it common to be turned down by a doctor? I really worry about that. The one big argument in my favor, aside from wanting to lose weight, of course, and no longer be morbidly obese, is that heart attack, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes are very prevalent in BOTH sides of my family, from my great-grandparents to my grandparents to my mother and father. Being morbidly obese only increases the risk and would make those conditions worse... which is why it's also very important to get this weight off, asap!