catwoman7

chronic constipation is a common problem among WLS patients, even years later. Many of us take a capful of Miralax every day to keep on top of it. Other common measures include magnesium tablets, stool softeners, Benefiber, Smooth Move Tea, or eating a few prunes every day. Whatever works!

I had glue on all my incisions - it gradually fell off - I think the last of it was gone by about the four week mark. Unless the incision is bleeding, it's probably fine.

a lot of women have messed up menstrual cycles the first few weeks or months after surgery. It's supposedly due to the fat cells releasing estrogen during rapid weight loss. It'll eventually stabilize again. If you're worried, I'd call - but I'm guessing that's most likely what's going on. People post about that a lot.

at 3 months out oranges should be OK as long as your stomach can handle the acid in them (I can deal with some kinds of oranges - but I've had some that are too acidic)

some people do use stool softeners. Magnesium tablets can also help.

interesting - my PCP told me it was safe to stay on Miralax long-term. My bariatric surgeon also knows I take it and is fine with it. I've been having a capful every morning for probably five years... (it does say on the bottle to only stay on it for something like seven days (or 14? can't remember) and see a doctor if you're still having the issue, but she said it's because they want to make sure it's not masking something serious. In my case, it's not - like you, it's due to the high protein diet and the supplements we take (iron and calcium are the usual culprits...). I've gotten dry mouth from PPI's as well, so I would not be at all surprised if they contribute to the constipation too. btw - chronic constipation is a very common problem among WLS patients

as with any surgery, there's always a risk of complications, but most are minor and "fixable", and many of us don't experience complications at all. there's not much you can do about hair loss. It can happen after any major surgery - or even giving birth - but it seems to be more common with bariatric surgery because in addition to the shock to your body from the surgery, you're also taking in very few calories afterward. Keeping on top of your protein and vitamins may help it from getting any worse than it is, but you still might lose hair. Most of us do (not all - but most), but for the majority, we're the only ones who notice it. I had some hair loss during months 5-8, but it was just light shedding, so no one would have noticed it. Hair coming out in big, noticeable clumps isn't very common. anxiety before surgery is very common - I kind of freak out before any surgery. But I'm sure you'll do fine!!

rate of weight loss is so different between people depending on so many factors that I don't know that any of this will really help you, since you don't know if you'll be a faster or slower loser, BUT... I lost 16 lbs in month 1 and 12 lbs in month 2. So 28 lbs altogether.

according to my calculation, you'd have to eat an excess (above and beyond what your body needs) of 2853 calories a day to gain 9 lbs of true weight, so that's not what's going on. It's probably water retention.

I never had issues with eggs, either, but I know a lot of people do.

they're all different. Mine was 4-5 protein shakes a day, plus clear liquids (which included sugar free Jello and sugar free popsicles). I could also have 1 C of broth and 1 C of V8 or tomato juice a day. Be glad you can have fruit, chicken, and fish -- I probably would have killed for that!!

P.S. complications aren't that common - and a leak most likely would have shown up by now. And no, you won't be eating like this for the rest of your life, either. I know the first few weeks can be rough, but then life will start to feel normal again. The buyer's remorse you have is also common during the early weeks. I had it as well.

are you a pre-menopausal woman? If so, a lot of women have hormone spikes the first few weeks after surgery. Mood swings and screwed up menstrual cycles seem to be fairly common. It's supposedly because estrogen is released from fat cells during the rapid weight loss. It does stabilize after awhile though, so this won't last forever.

I still struggle with hungry vs satiated - my disordered eating led me to being obese, and I'm not sure I've figured it out even now. My dietitian keeps urging me to stop counting calories and try intuitive eating, but I'm not sure I'm there yet. I'm still not entirely in tune with my body. not all programs offer post-op therapy, although mine does have a couple of health psychologists on staff for patients who want that option. If yours doesn't, there are always outside therapists. A lot of bariatric patients have worked with therapists and find it helpful. Hopefully there are some in your area who work with bariatric patients and/or disordered eating (not that a generalist couldn't - but someone who has a specialty in that area is likely to be more aware of the issues we have)

Good idea! The other place is the blog called "The World According to Eggface". She's a long-time bariatric patient who's been very involved in the bariatric community for many years. AND...she loves cooking. She also has a lot of recipes on her site for all stages.

my surgeon didn't set a goal weight. He just asked me what I was hoping to weigh and I said 199 lbs. At the time, that seemed like a pipe dream to me - I couldn't believe that came out of my mouth. And I was even more shocked when he said that should be do-able! I actually went far below that - at one time 138 lbs - and even though I bounced back 10-15 lbs (as many of us do after hitting our lowest weight, unfortunately), I'm still well below 199.

wow - I hope that'll help. I had GERD before I had surgery - I wouldn't wish that on anyone!

I think I may have gotten mine at Costco, but i can't remember. It's probably been a year since I bought it. Check to see if places have PB2 if you can't find PBFit - it's pretty much the same thing - just a different brand.

three stone is more than I'd lost in 12 weeks. You are doing fine. If you've been going up and down 3 lbs for the last two weeks but are following your program, then you are in a stall. Most of us experience those occasionally while on our journey. Just continue to stick to your program, keep tracking your food, and stay off your scale for a few days if you have to. As long as you're following your program, the stall WILL break and you'll be on your way again.

yikes! Did you mention your GERD to anyone at your clinic? They should be able to put you on something for that. A lot of us are on PPI's for the first few months after surgery.

actually, I think all PPI's can have some pretty scary side effects if taken long term (a few months, like after stomach surgery, is fine - but some people are on them for years and years. They used to think they were safe for long term use, but they've discovered just in the last few years (maybe four or five years? I can't remember) that they're really not.

probably over 90% of us have our first major stall within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery (usually it's the third week, hence the nickname, but it's not always the third week). You're likely to experience a few more of these on your weight loss journey. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days if you need to. It'll break.

I think I lost about 12 lbs - but I lost over 40 lbs during my six-month supervised diet, so that makes a difference. People who didn't lose a lot pre-surgery might lose more during the two-week diet, but that's with all other things being equal (things like starting weight, metabolism, musculature, etc make a difference - no two people are alike)

yes they do, but I've heard they can be hard to find in some areas. The Walgreens around here carries them, though. Our CVS also carries a generic "Centrum" in a chewable form (can't remember if Walgreens has a chewable version of their generic "Centrum" or not...but they do carry the chewable form of the real Centrum (or at least ours does)) P.S. I switched over to regular tablets once I was about a year out, that's why I seem foggy on whether or not Walgreens has a chewable version of its generic

vomiting after surgery is WAY easier than vomiting before surgery. I no longer dread it. For one thing, your stomach is much smaller, so there's not much in there to vomit up. Plus you don't have much acid in your stomach, either, so you don't get that awful taste in your mouth. If you vomit up chocolate pudding, for example, it tastes the same coming up as it did going down. It's kind of like when a baby "spits up" after eating.