catwoman7

almost everyone has their first one sometime during the first month, but after that, it varies. I think I might have been about three months out when I had my second one. I always dealt with them the same way - stuck to my plan and stayed off the scale for a few days. Worked every time!

I agree with Arabesque. You probably won't feel much if any restriction until you start on solid food. Plus you had some nerves cut during surgery, and it takes them awhile to regenerate. In the mean time, just measure out what you're supposed to eat and just eat that.

I had RNY almost six years ago. I really had no pain to speak of - although getting in and out of bed the first few days was a little challenging because I felt like I'd done about 1000 crunches. But if I was just lying there - or sitting there - or standing there - I had no pain. I had an easy recovery, too. The first few weeks are touch and go - you're really limited as to what you can eat and not everything sits well, but after awhile your food choices expand and you know what you and cannot tolerate.

^^ yes. I should have clarified that I was referring to multivitamins (that you'd need two a day of most "drugstore vitamins" to meet requirements). In addition, most of us need extra calcium, iron, and (at least for RNY'ers), B12.

some of the bariatric-specific ones are one a day. Most regular vitamins that you get at a place like Walgreens you have to take twice a day to meet our requirements.

yep - it's the infamous three-week stall, right on time! It'll last 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your program, stay off the scale if you have to, and rest assured that it will break. This is likely to be your first of several..

those kinds of feelings are pretty common the first few weeks - but it'll pass and all the food/hydration/etc routines will get much easier, as GreenTealael said. I remember feeling the same way the first few weeks - but it does get easier...

there's no way you're gaining "real" weight if you're following your surgeon's plan. You're likely only taking in a few hundred calories a day. It's probably water weight or constipation.

I agree with the above poster - it's trial and error. Some people can eat 2000 calories to maintain, others can only eat 1200. You'll have to track your calories for awhile and adjust up or down to find your maintenance range.

was it a different surgeon? It seems like some recommend them and others don't. Mine didn't. I had one for plastic surgery, though..

I think they often charge insurance companies a lot more than they do self-pay patients.

I always liked Syntrax products. They have fruit flavors in addition to "milky" flavors. I also like Unjury products - but those you can only get through Unjury's Web site.

yep - it's the infamous three-week stall that almost everyone goes through! It typically lasts 1-3 weeks. Just stick to your plan and it'll break. Always does...

does Dunkin have sugar free syrups? Some coffee places do - I don't know about Dunkin since I haven't been there in ages.

all I can say is, I did the diet and exercise routine a gazillion times, lost at best 50-60 lbs (and those were during my more successful attempts - it was usually more like 15-20 lbs), stayed there for maybe a couple of months, and then gradually gained it back. This went on ....and on...and on....for DECADES (I'm in my 60s). I had over 200 lbs to lose, so I knew there was no way I was ever going to lose it if I couldn't even keep 50 lbs off. So I finally had to admit to myself that weight loss surgery was probably my only hope. So...I did it. I lost over 200 lbs in about 18 months, gained back around 10-20 (depending on the year and day - and a 10-15% bounce back after hitting bottom is unfortunately very common) and.....stayed there. And I'm still here. There is no way ON EARTH I could have done this without the help of weight loss surgery. Statistics show that less than 5% of people are able to take significant amounts of weight off and keep it off. It's a constant struggle because you are fighting biology. Weight loss surgery (WLS) really helps with that because your hunger hormones are lowered, your stomach is much smaller, etc. Granted, after the first year or two, it does become a challenge for most of us to maintain our losses, but it's much more do-able than it was pre-surgery. WLS doesn't guarantee you'll take off a significant amount of excess weight and keep it off, but it greatly improves your odds. I know you probably know all this already, though. Maybe your wife needs to do more research about weight loss surgery -what's involved, the benefits, the statistics including success rates of WLS vs. doing it on your own. Good luck with this - it's certainly much easier when your close family members are on board with it.

no - although I've heard of bypassers with diarrhea, constipation is WAY more common. It's a chronic problem for a lot of us. do you think it might be something you're eating that your system may be rebelling against? Like some kind of artificial sweetener or certain carbs or something?

hard to say, but if I had to guess, I'd say the chicken. Chicken breast is too dry for many people who are early post-op. Either that, or just your overall volume was a bit much for your pouch.

it depends on where you'll be in China. I've been in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Xian - none of those cities had particularly spicy food (actually, I don't remember any of it being spicy, but then, it's been awhile). It's certain western regions of China that have spicy food, I believe (like Hunan province). But then again, you may be fine with spicy food. I had a hard time with it the first few weeks after surgery, but after that, I was fine with it.

the issue with wings is that the white meat of chicken can be pretty dry, so it's hard for some people who are early out to tolerate (well, hard for your stomach to tolerate, anyway). You can always give it a try - maybe you'll be OK with it. But a lot of people need moister meats when they're still early out.

fear and nervousness is common before surgeries, but you'll do fine! Hair loss is common after weight loss surgery, but there are some people who lose very little if any hair. And for most of us, you're the only one who'll notice it. Mine started around six months out and lasted three months - and it grew back (I didn't lose very much). I can tell you that for those of us who are a year or two (or more) out, the hair loss seems so minor in the grand scheme of things. Many people worry about it when they're pre-op and early post-op (I did, too!!), but now I wonder why I wasted even one brain cell worrying about it. It seems so insignificant now in light of all the positive changes my body has gone through.

I agree with summerset. Calorie ranges are a very individual thing and depend on some many factors - age, gender, body composition (people with more muscle tend to burn more calories), metabolic level, activity level, etc etc etc. There are people on here who can't eat more than 1200 calories/day, and others who can eat 2000 a day.

I had my surgery after menopause and had great success with it. I was VERY committed, though - I followed my program to a "T". be aware that as a "light weight", your weight loss will likely be pretty slow. Many of us start off quite a bit heavier than you are, and generally, the heavier you are, the faster the weight will come off - at least at first. Just saying this because a lot of people expect to drop like 30 or 40 lbs the first month after surgery, which I think comes from watching shows like "My 600 lb Life". For most "normal" WLS patients, that's not a realistic expectation - and that goes doubly for you since you're much lighter than most of us are starting out. Not trying to discourage you - if you're committed, you'll lose the weight - but just don't get discouraged if you're not having the huge drops that you may see in other people. good luck with it - I'm really glad I did it and would do it again in a heart beat!

although some people claim certain products have helped, others will say they didn't do a thing. You just have to wait it out and know that it's temporary and the hair will grow back. The hair loss is due to telogen effluvium (there are tons of articles on the internet about it - but this one popped up first for me): https://dermnetnz.org/topics/telogen-effluvium/#:~:text=Telogen effluvium is the name,the shape of the root. it's due to shock to the system from the surgery. Evidently it can be a side effect of any major surgery, but I think we probably see it more often with weight loss surgery since rapid weight loss and not getting enough protein/calories can ALSO cause telogen effluvium....so you're getting a double/triple whammy. for most of us, it lasts three or four months and then stops - and then the hair grows back. The best thing you can do is keep on top of your supplements and protein so it doesn't get any worse than it would anyway. Those hairs are already in the dormant phase of the hair growth cycle, so it makes sense to me that nothing is really going to stop it once it's underway. Mine started at six months out and lasted about three months. Fortunately, I didn't lose that much. I doubt anyone noticed..

sorry to hear that - not sure if it was related to your Suboxone situation or not. A majority of us fortunately have little to no pain with this surgery (I had pretty much zero). Sorry you were one of the unlucky ones. For those who do have pain with this, the painkillers do work - but your situation might be kind of unique because of your history with opioid blockers, I'm guessing.... Anyway, sorry you went through that.

I eat sugar, fat, and spicy food (I limit my sugar, though - and since I hit maintenance at about 20 months out, I count overall calories, so if the high-fat food fits into my daily calorie range, I'm good. A super high-fat meal (such as a couple of pieces of fried fish with tartar sauce and a pile of French fries and cole slaw made with mayo) doesn't usually sit well with my stomach, but I can eat one of those things - just not a whole meal full of high-fat things). I can also eat spicy food. I rarely drank alcohol before surgery and rarely drink it now - maybe three times a year - and a glass of wine is about all I can handle now (you feel the effects much quicker and stronger after surgery, and transfer addiction happens with some of us, so you do need to watch it). The first few weeks and months there are a lot of restrictions, but after that, not really. There's not much I can't eat, but I eat much smaller portions than I did before, and I focus now on my calories rather than what I can..and can't...have. If a burger or a piece of cake fits into my calorie range, then I'm good (although I usually try to eat nutritionally dense things, so a piece of cake is an occasional treat, not an every day indulgence). do I have fun? Oh good Lord yes - this is WAY better than weighing almost 400 lbs! I don't EVER want to go back there! I feel like I finally have my life back! I'm so glad I had this surgery - best decision I've ever made. I'd have it done every year if I had to! Life is so much better at a normal weight!!! I have a LOT more fun than I did when I was super morbidly obese!!