catwoman7

actually, the DS has a sleeved stomach, so the pylorus is still intact. Dumping is much more common in RNY than it is the other types of WLS (i"ve heard of it happening with other types of WLS, but it's not nearly as common in those)

I usually put cinnamon and artificial sweetener in my chaffles - then I top them with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and fruit compote (I make my fruit compote by cooking down berries with artificial sweetener or SF Torani syrup plus some cinnamon and vanilla. Sometimes I have to put a little thickener in there if it's too liquidy....). My husband eats his with maple syrup.

I don't think I ate popcorn until I was in maintenance. It takes up space and doesn't have much nutritional value, other than some fiber. I'd save that for (much) later. I haven't eaten ground beef in years, but I'm guessing that's OK.

I had my lower body lift in a separate surgery from everything else. I had to sleep on my back for AT LEAST a couple of weeks. And walking is harder after that than it was after gastric bypass (or at least it was for me). Getting in and out of bed the first few days was torture, and I had to use a walker once I was up. I had to walk all hunched over for a couple of weeks, as I recall. overall, I found this a much tougher recovery than was gastric bypass, at least pain-wise, but YMMV.

the best way to keep stitches from stretching is to try to restrict stretching those parts of your body that are affected as much as you can. I found arms to be the hardest to do that with. I live with my husband so he did my reaching for me, but sometimes you just forget and don't think about it until after you've already reached for something. Plus after the first week or so, my husband went back to work, which made it harder. I had to get up on a step stool to get things out of the cupboards that before I would have just reached for.

it's just an egg and mozzarella cheese. Sometimes people will add other things (cinnamon, herbs, etc) to make them sweet or savory. so they're fine. They're very popular on another bariatric forum I'm also on

P.S. I've never dumped, but I used to vomit occasionally if I ate too fast, too much, or if something didn't agree with me (and that was NOT dumping). Of course, I will still vomit (five years later) if I eat too fast or too much, but you pretty much figure out the first few weeks after surgery what doesn't agree with you. So the situation you described (having to vomit while you're eating out somewhere) sometimes happens during the early post-op period, but once you figure out what your body can tolerate, it's pretty rare unless you overeat or eat too fast. also, you'll get all the usual "I have to vomit" symptoms and can make it to a bathroom in time, so it's not like you're going to do in the middle of a restaurant. also, vomiting is WAY easier after surgery. I wouldn't say it's PLEASANT, but it's a lot less dreadful than it is before surgery. Not much contents in your stomach. And not nearly as much acid in there, either, so you don't get that awful taste in your mouth.

it doesn't happen to everyone - most RNY'ers I know have never dumped. I've read about 30% do, but I don't know if that's an actual researched statistic or just some number that people throw around, but I'd say it sounds at least ballpark, just based on anecdotal evidence I've seen over the last few years. it happens when too much sugar hits the small intestine at once and your body goes into overdrive trying to deal with. It doesn't happen nearly as much with sleevers because they still have a functional pyloric valve that controls how much is going into the small intestine at one time. RNY'ers no longer have that because our pyloric valve has been bypassed. It can cause severe diarrhea (I don't think vomiting is as common, but some people have that, too). Also shaking, chills, cramps, flushing, rapid heartbeat, and light-headedness it can be controlled by limiting - or avoiding - sugar.

yea I've seen similar posts on bariatric forums from others. People overall had not had much luck with these.

the first few weeks are hard and we didn't bother going out at all. After that, I could eat things like shrimp cocktail or soup or chili. And then once I was a few months out, I had a lot more options. Even now, I often order an appetizer - or I'll order an entree and eat half of it - or my husband and I will order one entree and a couple of salads or appetizers and just share everything. At Mexican places I'd usually order fajitas and just focus on the meat and veggies (I'd eat about a cup of it). Now I usually order two a la carte tacos since I don't care about carbs anymore (the authentic Mexican ones with 4"-6" corn tortillas filled with just meat, onion, and cilantro) (although some people who are doing low-carb order tacos and just eat the innards) Chinese places - I order something with non-fried meat and veggies, eat about a cup of that, and skip the rice. I used to also just eat the toppings off a piece or two of pizza (now I'll eat the crust, too, but I usually just eat two pieces - I'm pretty full after that) anyway, suffice it to say, it's really just the first few weeks that are hard - so we just didn't go out. After that, you should be able to find at least a couple of things on a menu that will work for you. And once you're even further out, you'll have a lot of options again. I can eat most anything now; I just don't have the huge portions I once did.

I have my five-year anniversary in four days!! doing well. Initially got down to into the 130s but gained 15-20 lbs in year 3 (10 of which I was OK with - with my large frame and musculature, 130s was too light for me). I stabilized at 150 for a couple of years, but last fall I was abroad for a month, then came back in time of the holidays, and then the pandemic hit, so I managed to get up to 160. I'm working on getting back down to 150 as that's where I feel best. It's happening but S-L-O-W going. Who knew how hard it would be to lose a measly 10 lbs? anyway, overall it's been a great success and I'd do it over again 1000 times... Shouldn't have waited so long to take the plunge!

I was pretty indifferent to it during the first few months after surgery (and I wish things would have stayed that way - it's so much easier to lose weight when you're never hungry and don't give a hoot about food), but that all eventually comes back. At least for most of us.

fortunately, that's pretty uncommon. Most people "shed" for three or four months, but often they're the only ones who notice it. Sorry that that happened to you!

Yikes - someone posts about this a couple times a year, so this isn't very common (my dentist said he's never seen it in his patients who've had WLS). BUT...I know it happens to some. Sorry it happened to you!

yes - it's very common and sometimes permanent. I lost all my feeling from my navel down, but after a year or so, some of it started to come back. I still have some areas that are still 100% numb, though - and I'm aware that could be permanent. I've kind of gotten used to it, though.

my thighs weren't horrible since I carried my weight high. I do have dimpling now and some excess skin (but not much), but not enough to warrant plastic surgery. Plus at age 60, my days of wearing mini skirts and short shorts are L-O-N-G gone. BUT...my abdomen looked horrendous (although it was easily hidden in clothes) and so did my breasts. I had a lower body lift and a breast lift, and both look great now. Other than the scars (which actually aren't very noticeable), you'd swear it was some 30-year-old's body. I also had my arms done, but in retrospect, I'm not sure I'd do those again. They really weren't that horrible to begin with. Although they look smaller now, it wasn't the same "wow" factor that it was with my abs and my breasts. I guess that's another reason I decided to skip my thighs - they really weren't all that bad, I didn't want to spend all that money not to be "wowed". but - your body is different than mine. If your thighs look awful, then yes, they'll drastically improve with plastic surgery.

yea - certain smells really bothered me the first few days after surgery. I had to ask my mother to leave the hospital room because the perfume she was wearing was nauseating me. That didn't last for long, though - maybe a few days, as I recall.

although there are a lot of restrictions the first few months, you'll eventually be able to eat most foods again - just in smaller portions. The only thing my body really rejects anymore are really high-fat meals For example, my husband and I used to love going out to Friday night fish fries where they give you two or three pieces of fried cod, a mound of French fries, and cole slaw. If I ate that now, I'd be in the bathroom throwing up afterward. I could maybe eat half a fried fish filet now, but that's it (volume-wise I can eat more than that now, but more fat than that, no). YMMV, though - I know people who are years out who can't eat ice cream anymore (unfortunately, I CAN eat ice cream..),so it varies depending on the person, but for the most part, you'll eventually be able to eat most things again.

I've never read anything about them here. They'd probably be OK to wear once you're healed, I would think...

complications are pretty rare, and I'm not sure BMI makes a difference unless it's super high (which I know yours is NOT - but any surgery is risky for someone with a super high BMI - like 60+)

not sure if this is common or not, but opiates like oxy actually GIVE me headaches!

don't worry - you're doing everything correctly. This WILL work. I was worried about all that as well, but the weight DID come off!

both. Yes - people who lose a lot of weight pre-op don't usually see those huge drops the first month that others do, because most of those "big drops" is due to water weight. If you lost a lot before surgery, that water weight is long gone. secondly, almost everyone has their first stall during the first month or so after surgery. It's usually the third week (thus it's called "the three week stall", and there are hundreds of posts here on it), but it's not always the third week. Mine was weeks 2 & 3. Once my stall broke during week 4, I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days. So anyway, you may just be having your "three week stall" early. I lost 16 lbs the first month, and I started out at over 300 lbs. Figured I'd drop like crazy, too - but no, I did not. But like you, I lost a ton of weight (57 lbs) prior to surgery, and then I had that two-week-long stall....

I agree 100% with all of this. I personally liked Unjury and Syntrax products (Unjury products are only available through their Web site; Syntrax can be found through a number of online sites (including the Bariatric Pal store, I believe) as well as a few regular stores. But as Summerset said, YMMV. People's tastes are all across the board.

it's the nicotine that can potentially cause problems, that's why they're banning the gum and patches, too. The first time I quit was with gum - my "quit" lasted about a year. The second time, about five years later, I went cold turkey. It was horrible, but I made it through, as many, many people have - and that was 25 years ago (no way was I going to go back that time - I knew how hard it was to quit!!). my heart goes out to you - that's a tough addiction to get over. But again, many people have done it, so it IS do-able...