catwoman7

you'll hit several stalls on your journey. I just stuck to my program and stayed off the scale as much as I could (I was kind of addicted to the scale as well, so easier said than done!). My weight loss always started up again. But yes - it's aggravating.

unfortunately you can eat around any of the surgeries. With sleeve and bypass, the restriction keeps you from eating a ton at any one sitting, but you can easily graze all day and put on weight. For example, before I had bypass, I could eat half a large pizza at one sitting. Now, almost six years out from bypass, I still can't eat more than one or two pieces - at one sitting. But I could have 1-2 pieces at 5:00 pm, another 1-2 pieces at 6:30 pm, and another 1-2 pieces at 8:00 pm. So...I could still eat half a pizza in one day. That's the kind of thing you have to watch. a lot of WLS patients work with therapists on these kinds of issues - so that might be something to consider if you find yourself slipping...

depends on how far out of range it is. If it's only slightly out, you may be fine. Your doctor will let you know if it's an issue...

after you're out a ways, nothing is restricted - but some people can no longer tolerate certain foods - and/or more than a small portion of them. I can eat anything except for really high-fat meals. A lot of fat at one sitting usually makes me nauseated.

it can be done! It does take a lot of commitment - esp near the end when the weight loss slows to a crawl. Good luck with your journey!

it does happen to some sleeve patients - not the majority, but a sizable minority. Sorry that you're dealing with this - chronic heartburn is awful! Are you on a PPI, like omeprazole or pantoprazole? That usually helps...

whoever said some of the traditional advice on vitamins goes out the window when it comes to bariatric patients is right. Especially with RNY, since we malabsorb some nutrients. I'd go by your bloodwork and adjust as necessary. Going for three months at a dosage level that's a bit higher than "normal" (we're not talking 2-3 x more than normal - we're talking a few milligrams) shouldn't be toxic - they'd catch it before it became a problem. I have a similar issue with calcium. I evidently absorb it much better than most bariatric patients, because my endocrinologist noticed I was excreting gobs of it in my urine. She said I was at a huge risk for developing kidney stones at that rate. She had me cut my dosage in half, and then had me cut out calcium supplements altogether. I was a little freaked out about this because I have osteoporosis, but my levels on everything are fine. Balancing chemicals in bodies are an endrocrinologist's bailiwick, so yours should know what he/she is doing. And like mine, yours tests again after three or so months, so they can tell pretty quickly if the change is causing problems. and yes - different forms of iron are absorbed differently. Sounds like you're good at this point!

no - I was writing about gummy vitamins when I realized she meant gummy bears. So then I tried to delete my post, but it wouldn't let me delete it. It said I had to put something there. UGH.

candy cane syndrome is pretty rare these days - the surgery is done differently than it was several years ago.

afgaa

yes - that IS late, if that's what it is. Those usually show up 1-3 months after surgery. Let us know when you find out...

No way! I should have done this YEARS ago!

most people sail through with no or only very minor issues. I think it seems like complications are more widespread than they actually are because people post about those, looking for support or advice. People who don't have any issues don't usually post about that..

I'm guessing you lost a chunk of that while pre-op (I did as well - I lost 57 lbs on my six-month supervised diet and my two-week liquid diet). Either way, that's fantastic progress! Congrats!!

pineapple has a lot of acid in it - not sure if that will bother your stomach or not. It would have mine. Strawberries have seeds - I was supposed to avoid those at first - I can't remember when I was allowed to have those. I'd call your clinic and ask.

I had that feeling when I had a stricture - although if that's the case, you'd mostly just be feeling it after eating....whereas you're feeling after you don't eat, too. I'd call the surgeon's office and let them know what's going on.

I really only participate here on BP and on one particular thread on Obesity Help, one that is made up of mostly vets, some of whom have been on the thread for years so we know each other pretty well. Haven't noticed it in either place - although I guess I'm not surprised there's negativity in some groups given the kind of year we've had (esp COVID). I think a lot of people are stressed out or depressed due to it, so that's likely a huge factor in negativity. Plus all the postponed surgeries (also thanks to COVID)

that article MoxieMama posted was very informative, so check it out. basically, there's not much you can do about it. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Some people swear biotin helps, but just as many swear it doesn't. So...YMMV. luckily, I lost very little hair - certainly not enough to notice (I just noticed a lot more strands than usual when I combed it out after washing it). It started about about 5-6 months post-surgery and lasted maybe three or four months. It all grew back.

I don't know when you had surgery, but both of those things you mentioned are pretty common, esp during the first year or so. The latter is often due to low blood pressure - just get up slowly and try to avoid sudden movements. I dealt with both of those things my first year out.

once you're a ways out, you can eat most/all foods again - just in smaller quantities. There's not much I can't eat. It's really the first few weeks or months that you have all those restrictions. pain is all across the board, but most of us seem to have little to no pain with these surgeries. If you're one of the unlucky ones who has a lot of pain, you'll have the pain meds they sent you home with, so just keep on top of it. It should be gone in a few days.

GERD after sleeve doesn't happen to everyone, or even to the majority, but there's a fairly significant minority who develop it after surgery - enough so that they usually recommend people go with RNY if they have GERD prior to surgery. Losing weight may help with that - but then again, it might not since it IS a known potential side effect. You could always try to lose the weight first and see if that does the trick - and if not, go for the revision (if that's what you want to do - you may be able to control it with meds, too...)

I wouldn't do this unless you're very constipated and need them. Taking them to lose weight could take you down the wrong path....

here are the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery guidelines. They list what supplements all WLS patients should take, as well as those specific to each surgery (they call the sleeve "SG" or "LSG" here) you don't necessarily need bariatric-specific vitamins, although they do make things a bit easier. But any vitamin routine is fine if it fits into these guidelines. I've never used bariatric-specific vitamins. My multiple vitamin is just two Centrums (or the generic version of Centrum - both CVS and Walgreens have them - as well as some other places). I then take a few single-vitamin supplements that are required for RNY. https://asmbs.org/app/uploads/2017/06/ASMBS-Nutritional-Guidelines-2016-Update.pdf?/app/uploads/2008/09/asmbs-nutritional-guidelines-2016-update.pdf

as long as you stick to your eating plan, the stall WILL break. I'd lost about 10 lbs when I hit my first stall, which lasted for two weeks. I went on to lose over 200 lbs.

I've never liked Premier pre-made shakes, either (but I know a lot of people love them). I can taste the protein in them. The only pre-made shakes that I like are Unjury and Fairlife. In general, I do like powders better, even though they're more of a hassle. Some of the powders I don't care for, but there are several that I like.