catwoman7

yes - I felt that way for several weeks. Maybe six weeks?

our clinic had the VSG and RNY patients on the exact same food plan - so no, it shouldn't matter which cookbook you get.

they say weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. What's a typical menu for you?

most of us gain weight from the IV fluids they give us in the hospital (some people gain up to 10 lbs), and it can take a few days for it to work it's way out of our system. I wouldn't worry yet.

first of all, the chances of you dying are 0.3%, which means there's a 99.7% chance you'll sail through just fine. And you will. Complications aren't that common and most of them are minor and "fixable". These surgeries have come a long way from where they were 20 or 30 years ago... I'm a foodie. Yes - there are a few months after surgery when you're pretty restricted (esp the first few weeks), but eventually you'll be free to eat what you do now (unless you develop some intolerances, which some of us do), but in smaller portions. I can't eat super high-fat meals anymore - or a ton of sugar at one sitting (both make me feel queasy - and sometimes I'll get sick) - but other than that...???

yes. With 50 lbs to lose you may not have a ton. I lost over 200 lbs - so I had a lot of it (have since had it removed).

you'll have it or you won't. If it's just a little, strength training may build enough muscle to fill it out somewhat. But many of us (like me, for example) end up with a lot of it. If you've been very overweight for awhile, it's likely been stretched beyond the point of being able to "bounce back". But like others have said, I'd take it any day of the week over being super morbidly obese again. Besides, there's always the plastic surgery option if it bothers you.

actually, a lot of people have a hard time tolerating eggs and chicken breast early out (chicken breast because it's too dry - not sure why some people can't tolerate eggs, but it's a common issue). Most people are OK with them once they're a few weeks or months out, though. I don't eat much red meat - but I would imagine that could be tough on your pouch when you're early out, too.

I haven't had a revision, but I just wanted you to say that lots of people have revised from sleeve to bypass (mostly due to GERD). There are a few current BP members who have, so hopefully some of them will respond.

I use hand weights at home (usually to youtube videos on strength training) or the weight machines at my gym

check out "The World According to Eggface" blog. She had weight loss surgery several years ago and loves cooking (she's also very active in the bariatric community - including on the board of the Obesity Action Committee). She's got recipes for all stages on here: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

most of us are prescribed PPI's (usually omeprazole or pantaprazole) the first few months of surgery, regardless of if we have heartburn/reflux or not. Was it something like that or an ulcer-specific drug?

yes. I can't remember when I could start doing that again - but it was definitely within the first year.

excellent!!

the ones I got didn't have cranberries - they were pumpkin, rosemary, and some kind of seed. They were great. Yours do look a lot like the ones from Aldi's, though. Even the packaging. I wonder if they're made by the same company...

are those the pumpkin/rosemary etc crisps from Aldi's? I LOVE those things!!

it sounds like you need to do more reading and research. Spend some time on this forum - there's a lot of good info here and a ton of people who've had the various surgeries. Also, there are a lot of books out on weight loss surgery (WLS). One that comes to mind is "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies" - I haven't personally read that one, but a lot of patients claim they really liked it and got a lot of out of it.

regain can happen with any surgery, even the most powerful of all, the DS (duodenal switch). Losing the weight and keeping it off takes a lot of commitment - for life. People who say you're taking the easy way out are dead wrong. This takes A LOT of work. Hair loss is very common with all weight loss surgeries. the good thing is, it's temporary. It grows back. And a majority of us don't lose enough for others to notice (although WE notice it, of course...). A few people don't lose any hair at all. To many of us who are long past that stage, the hair loss was a small price to pay for the benefits we got from the weight loss. Vitamin deficiency can happen in bypass patients if they don't keep on top of their vitamins. You will have to take vitamins for life regardless of surgery, but the consequences for slacking off are more severe for bypass patients than sleeve patients. However, if you're diligent about taking your vitamins, vitamin deficiencies are pretty rare, even in bypass patients

the echo cardiogram is nothing, IIRC

I didn't like eating for the first few months - it seemed like a chore and I was never hungry - but I wasn't experiencing pain or discomfort when I ate, though. I'd run it by your clinic and see what they say.

Greek yogurt, cheese sticks, Babybel cheese, beef jerky, small individual packets of nuts all work. Sometimes I'll make protein muffins, too...

I haven't eaten it in a long time, but I used to add protein powder to mine as well. I'd usually add vanilla or cinnamon flavored, though.

it's probably safe to get a tattoo pretty early on (but I'd ask your clinic just to be sure), but the thing to keep in mind is your shape is going to change quite a bit, depending on how much weight you lose. People often have sagging, hanging skin on their arms and legs after massive weight loss (well, torso, too - but you asked about arms and legs). So your tattoo would sag and hang right along with it. It may not be affected too much on your lower leg or arm - but upper extremities can get pretty saggy.

there's some malabsorption involved with bypass (not so with sleeve), so you have to take vitamins for life to avoid deficiencies (you will also have to take vitamins for life with sleeve, but the consequences aren't as severe if you're not diligent with them). But the malabsorption is also part of the reason people tend to lose more weight with bypass, because you malabsorb calories along with nutrients. However, malabsorption of calories with bypass only lasts about two years. Malabsorption of nutrients is permanent, so you really have to be diligent about keeping on top of your supplements. Dehydration isn't an issue with bypass. You have to drink at least 64 oz of fluids a day with either surgery, but I've never read about any dehydration issues with bypass (I've been on this and other bariatric forms for about six or seven years - that issue has never come up that I'm aware of) as far as why I chose bypass: 1) my surgeon recommended it because I had GERD pre-surgery (sleeve can make GERD worse in about 30% of people. Bypass tends to improve if not outright cure it) 2) I went along with his recommendation because I didn't want to risk my GERD getting worse 3). I weighed over 300 lbs, so I wanted the most powerful surgery I could get (if my insurance covered the DS (duodenal switch), I might have gone for that instead. But it only covered sleeve and bypass) 4) At the time I had my RNY, the sleeve was still relatively new. It was in the process of replacing the lap band as the major non-RNY weight loss surgery option. The lap band turned out to be a not-so-great surgery (to the point where most surgeons refuse to do it now), and I didn't want to risk the sleeve becoming "Lap Band 2". However, that was a few years ago. The sleeve has been around long enough at this point that it's proven itself, so I would no longer have this particular concern if I had to make the decision today. HOWEVER, due to my GERD issues, I would still choose the bypass if I was facing that decision now. If not for that, I'm not sure which one I would go with. They're both good surgeries, and you'll find a lot of success stories with both.

basically, the bypass is a more powerful surgery than the sleeve. As mentioned in other comments, statistically you will lose more weight with it, and you're also more likely to maintain it. The DS (duodenal switch) is even more powerful than the bypass (RNY). But again - those are stats. Your success is going to be much more dependent on your level of commitment than which surgery you get.