catwoman7

I've volunteered at my clinic for the last four years (well, until COVID hit, anyway), helping with the pre-op classes. I always tell patients to have someone take pictures of them from front, back, and side(s) to document their journey. It's proof that you ARE getting smaller, which is a great reference on days you're feeling like nothing is happening, and also, it's fun to have so you can see what you looked like at various weights. I had my husband take pictures of me the day before surgery and then on my surgery date (the 3rd of each month) every month until I hit maintenance. I'm so glad I did that! you look great, btw!

ignore my original response to this (that 520 was low) - I thought you were talking about B12. With that, up to 700 or 900 (depending on how they measure it) is normal. 520 for ferritin is high, but I'm not sure if it's a problem or not. Your surgeon will let you know and have you cut back on your supplementation if necessary.

P.S. I wouldn't worry about any of this - if the surgeon thinks your B12 and ferritin levels are too high, he/she will just have you cut back a bit on your supplements. But depending on how high they are, they may not be a problem. Mine never were, and mine are always high.

P.S. How high is your ferritin level? Mine is often around 300 and my clinic has never expressed any concern about it.

high B12 is usually not a problem. Mine is always over 1000, and the surgeon basically just shrugs. It went over 2000 once, though, and he just said to cut back a bit on my supplement since I was clearly absorbing it well and didn't need that much. But he's never had a problem with it being high otherwise (I don't think he had a "problem" when it was over 2000, either - but it was a waste of my money to continue taking it at the level I was originally taking it at). I know some long term vets like their B12 levels at at least 800 because they feel better when it's on the high side...

my two favorite brands were Syntrax Nectar and Unjury - Unjury you can only get on Unjury's Web site. They also have individual packets (and you can get one of each flavor if you look under "Bundles" on their Web site). but as far as different brands, people's tastes vary A LOT. You'll just have to try a few brands and see if you can find one or two that you're OK with..

you can get sample packets of most/all of the Syntrax flavors in several places - including directly from Syntrax, on Amazon, or here on BP.

it's temporary - but take full advantage of that! It'll never be easier to lose weight than it is right now - when you're almost never hungry and really don't even like food anymore!

77 lbs is great! I lost about 100 in a year, but you lost yours in seven months - so you're way ahead of where I was.

either Unjury or Syntrax Nectar products (I eventually used both - can't remember which one I tried first)

not right away. In fact, I wasn't sure for awhile if that's what it was. But yes - at some point I did start getting hunger pangs again. I'm honestly not sure how it compares to pre-surgery, because I used to graze off and on all day and overeat at meals and really didn't listen for hunger cues. I just....ate. Just because. I do know a lot of people claim their pangs are not as strong as they were pre-surgery, though...

it may have plugged you up. Then when gas starts backing up behind that and can't get through - OUCH! Been there.

you probably won't be able to follow WW the first few months (we have a lot of restrictions early on - but your clinic will give you guidelines) - but it should probably be OK after that.

do you think the G/I issues could be something you're eating? It seems to be fairly common to develop lactose intolerance after surgery, for one thing. If you're drinking whey protein shakes, that could be a culprit (lactose intolerance after surgery is sometimes temporary - but sometimes not). Also, artificial sweeteners give some people G/I issues - worst offenders are sugar alcohols, which end in -itol....like maltitol, for example...

the PA at my surgeon's office said they could be if considered a medical necessity (which he'd argue they are in our case). He offered to write a prescription for them for me to use, but it turned out I didn't need it since I used up all of my FSA funds by around October of that year...

yep - it's the infamous three-week stall that you've probably read a lot about on here. It happens to almost everybody (it's not always the third week - although that's the most common time - but some people have it the second week and some the fifth week - it varies). Just stick to your plan and it'll eventually break. Mine lasted two weeks (stalls are usually 1-3 weeks long). Stay off the scale for a few days if you have to

there are several "vets" on another site I'm on who are on WW to lose regain. Most of them really like the current point system WW is using (it's changed since I was in WW several years ago).

I don't know about this particular surgery, but I know I've read mixed reviews of revisions like TORe, overstitch, etc. Some people don't lose much weight - but some do, but it's almost always slower than it was with the original surgery.

I love mine - although some people are less than enthralled (my mother-in-law gave me hers as a backup since she never used it). I also see them on Facebook Marketplace a lot - sometimes for as low as $40...brand new (maybe a Christmas gift?) or just used a few times. If you cook a lot, you will probably love it, though. I use mine at least a couple of times a week.

some people become lactose intolerant after surgery (sometimes temporary, sometimes permanently...), so that's one possibility. Also, some people's G/I tracts react to certain artificial sweeteners - so it could be the artificial sweetener they use, too. Or some people can't tolerate the taste of the protein. I could never drink the ready-to-drink Premier ones because I can taste the protein in it. see if you can pick up some individual packets of protein powders to try them out. Hopefully you'll find a couple that you can handle...

^^^ this!

I had GERD before I had surgery, which is why I went with the bypass. It went completely away for two or three years. Now I get heartburn occasionally. I wouldn't call it GERD, like I had before - but I occasionally get minor heartburn like you do. Over the counter stuff will usually do the trick. I was having issues with high calcium levels so my endocrinologist told me not to take Tums anymore (and to cut back on the calcium citrate that I was taking because of my bariatric status), so now I take another tablet that's magnesium-based instead. One or two of those will usually do the trick.

I lost over 200 lbs... (over 90 kg)

that's a head scratcher - yes, it might help to see the original rider. The way this is worded, I'm not sure what they mean..

your BMI is 30 - a lot of insurance companies won't cover it unless you're a 35 BMI if you have two or more co-morbidities, or a 40 BMI if you have no co-morbidities. You're lucky your company will cover it. Although it's a lot to go through for 20 lbs. I'm not saying don't, but.... most of us on here have considerably more weight to lose (many of us 100 or more pounds)