catwoman7

my two favorites were Unjury and Syntrax. Unjury is only available through Unjury's Web site, but you can find Syntrax products on several Web sites (even the BariatricPal Store) as well as a few regular stores. You can get sample packets from both companies (GNC and Vitamin Shoppe also carry sample packets of some brands). I'd recommend getting samples if you can so you can figure out what you like. Those tubs of protein are pretty pricey, so you don't want to stuck with one you hate.

I'm surprised they're doing lapbands at all in this day and age. So many people have had problems with them that most surgeons refuse to do them any more. If you have issues with GERD, then go with the bypass. Otherwise, it's pretty much up to you. They're both good surgeries and there are people who've had great success with both. I had GERD, so it was a no-brainer for me. If I didn't have the GERD - well, at the time I had surgery, the sleeve was still kind of new, so I didn't want to chance it in case it became "lapband 2". But that was a few years ago, and the sleeve has proven itself since then - so I'm not sure which I would choose if I was looking at surgery NOW and didn't have the GERD issue. I've been super happy with my bypass. No complications (and they're rare with both surgeries), and I ended up losing all of my excess weight. Should have done it years ago!

they'll have you focus on protein and fluids the first few months, as those are the most important things - without adequate amounts of both, you could get sick. You're probably not going to be able to get in enough calories to worry about for the first few months, so that's why they're not having you count them. My dietitian didn't want me counting calories AT ALL, as in EVER, but I did start counting them when I got to maybe 10 or 12 months out since I could eat a lot more by then, and counting calories works for me (I know it doesn't work for everyone). but just so you know, the first few weeks you'll be taking in very few calories. After those early weeks are past, a lot of us eat in the 600-800 range for a few months. I don't think I went over 1000 consistently until I was close to a year out.

there are a few of us. I've five years out.

yes - mine's always high - at one time was over 2000. The surgeon just shrugged his shoulders. I don't think having a high B12, if other things are normal, is a huge concern (evidently...)

I know it's tough - but stick to your surgeon's program!

don't give up - there was one vet on this or some other forum (it's been awhile...) whose first stall lasted 3.5 weeks!

I almost always have a package of their marinated chicken skewers in my fridge because they're a super convenient snack or meal if I need something quick - but then, I don't think I could have tolerated chicken breast for at least the first couple of months after surgery. But once your a ways out, that might be an option.

Jello is considered a liquid, so most people can have that right away. In fact, I think they gave that to me when I was still in the hospital. as for cottage cheese, it depends on your plan. I was able to eat purees as soon as I got home from the hospital, so I ate cottage cheese right away - after whirring it around in the blender to get the lumps out. But some people are on straight liquids the first week or two. It'd be best to contact your clinic since post-op diets vary. Plus you had DS, which isn't a common surgery. Most of us on here had RNY or VSG, and the requirements may be different.

I would guess that about 99% of us have our first stall during the first month or so after surgery. It's usually the third week, but not always. Mine was weeks 2 and 3. My weight loss started up again week 4, and I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. To save you the time, I did a search on the three week stall for you. It's VERY well-known among WLS patients. A lot of clinics even warn you about it beforehand (mine does - so I knew what it was when it happened to me). Anyway, here are all the posts about it. Over 17,500 of them: https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three week stall p.s. as the above poster said, it could just be water retention, too. The IV fluids they give you in the hospital have a lot of sodium in them, and a lot of people are salt sensitive. Although usually that's gone by the end of the first week.

it's very common for VSG and RNY patients not to have a BM for up to a week after surgery, but I don't know if that's the case for DS patients. I know they often have issues with diarrhea, but I'm not sure if that's true right after surgery. I'd call my surgeon to see if he/she suggests anything. A lot of your intestines are affected by that particular surgery, so if it were me, I'd feel more comfortable with professional advice.

I think it was a week before I had a BM - I don't think that's uncommon. and yes - that gain from the hospital is due to the IV fluids. They have sodium in them (among other things), which makes a lot of people retain them for awhile. Five days is a little long, but not unheard of.

If it were me, I'd probably get it fixed - but it's your decision. If it was a huge threat, he probably wouldn't be giving you an option.

it's actually WAY more common for people not to make it to goal than it is for them to lose too much weight. Average weight loss for a bypass is 70% of your excess weight. I made it to a normal BMI, but only 10-15% of people do. So....it's not likely. Besides, even if you're one of the few who loses too much, you can always stop the loss by increasing your calories.

I did the bypass specifically because I had GERD before I had surgery, and I didn't want to risk it getting worse. RNY often improves if not outright cures GERD, whereas VSG can make it worse (it doesn't always - and it only happens to a minority of people, but it's a significant enough minority that surgeons will often recommend that heartburn sufferers go with the bypass). I've been very happy with the bypass.

I don't think pouches can stretch much, but the stoma can. But I think it takes some pretty chronic overeating to stretch that out. My surgeon said most people who gain weight do it through 1) grazing or 2) not following the drinking after eating rule. Also, as the above poster says, drinking your calories can be dangerous, since they go right through the pouch...

I had mine in Chicago, but it's only a two-hour drive from here, so my experience was different. I went there in person a couple months beforehand for a consult. Pre-op stuff, like blood tests, were done by my PCP here in town and faxed to the surgeon. Both times my surgeries were on Fridays, so I drove down to Chicago on Thursday (the day before). I spent one night in the hospital after the surgery, then he required me to stay in the Chicago area for the next 2-3 nights in case there were problems (we stayed at a hotel). Both times I went in for my first post-op appt early the next week (Mon or Tues), so he could tell me if it was safe to drive home (and both times it was). However, since I was within driving distance from Chicago, it wouldn't have been impossible to drive back down there if there was some issue that a local MD couldn't...or wouldn't...deal with. It'd be really different if you were going somewhere hundreds of miles away. People I know who have done that usually stay a couple of weeks, just in case...

it sometimes takes a week to produce a BM - you don't have much food in your system, plus pain meds can be constipating. ask your clinic about the nausea. They may be able to give you something like ondansetron (I had that while I was in the hospital, but luckily I was OK once I got home). Or it could be switching off the pain meds might clear that up, too. Opioids make me feel nauseated and give me headaches. also, make sure you're getting enough fluids. Dehydration can also cause nausea.

You'd have to speak to a counselor or a physician, because I'm not an expert, but it may or may not be related to your DS (I've actually never heard of this as a side effect of DS, but then, DS isn't a common surgery, so I only "know" a handful of people on this and other bariatric forums who've had it). All of those things can be symptomatic of depression, though.

I think I lost 15 lbs on mine

here - I did the search for you. Over 17,000 posts on the three week stall: https://www.bariatricpal.com/search/?q=three week stall

pretty much 99.9% of us. Do a search of this site on the three week stall. You'll find thousands of posts on it.

I was swallowing all my pills whole (except for those calcium horse pills and my Ursodiol) as soon as I got home from the hospital. I got some calcium chews to have instead of the horse pills. With Ursodiol, I think the PA at my surgeon's office said it would be fine to hold off on that for a week or two (although it's been a few years, so I don't remember). At any rate, I never crushed any pills.

I renewed mine (a year or so ago) by mail. Not everyone is eligible to do this, but many are - just google "renewing passport by mail" or "renewing passport online" to see if you can do it.

we always have a thing of marinated chicken skewers from Costco in the fridge. I could make them myself for about 1/3 of the cost, but they're very convenient. Two of those usually fill me up.