catwoman7

I would think it would stretch everything out again (or at least your lower torso) if you got pregnant afterward. Or at least stretch it out somewhat. If you were sure you were going to try to get pregnant, I'd probably wait. But if you aren't sure...hmmmm....that's a dilemma. Maybe you could do a consult with a plastic surgeon and ask their opinion?

yellowish stool is often indicative of fat malabsorption - although maybe not always, so it's probably good to ask bright red blood is usually hemorrhoids or an anal fissure, neither of which are particularly major, so you may be OK there as well - but again, it's good to get it checked (and they'll probably have you treat it regardless, so it's good you're going). Really dark blood can be more worrisome because that means it's coming from much further up the G/I tract.

50 lbs in seven weeks is A LOT!! I'd lost half that in seven weeks - and I started out at over 300 lbs!

some of them do because of the sugar in it. These tend to be those who work at clinics that stress an ultra-low-carb post-op diet (mine wasn't one of those, fortunately - they're into a more balanced approach). Although even some of those low-carb diet pushers are OK with a few berries, since they're low-glycemic. I didn't eat bananas for quite awhile after surgery (but mostly because they became sickeningly sweet to me post-surgery), but I did throw a few berries on my morning yogurt starting pretty early out..

some plastic surgeons actually want you to wait a full year after you've reached your goal weight. Reason being is that a 10-20 lb rebound is unfortunately very common - and even for people who DON'T have a bounce back, things do tend to shift around over time (as in fat redistributing), so some areas might actually look better than they do now over time (I've heard a few people on here say they decided not to do thus-and-so procedure after all because things shifted around and that area actually looked a lot better than it did at first). They also say a gain or loss of more than 10 or 12 lbs can affect your plastic surgery results. So waiting awhile afterward for things to settle out is probably a better option - although there are some folks on here who've had plastic surgery soon after hitting goal, so that's not unheard of... I had plastic surgery three years after hitting goal. I'm glad I did because I've gained 20 lbs since hitting bottom (10 of it I really needed to as I'd gotten too thin - but the last 10, no. Trying to lose it now...). I gained the last 10 after having plastic surgery and my surgeon, at my one-year follow up, told me to do whatever it takes NOT to gain any more weight.

A lot of us were told that, it seems. We're usually given a goal which more-or-less aligns with the "average" weight loss, which for RNY is about 70% of excess weight (more for DS - I think it's 85%, IIRC). According to statistics, only about 10-15% of us make it to a normal BMI, so he's probably being realistic and doesn't want to set you up for disappointment if you don't make it. However, people can and do make it - there are several examples right here on BP. Anyway, long story short, I was told that as well....as were many of us.

not everyone dumps (I never have and know lots of folks who don't), and even among those who do, it varies how much sugar they can ingest without setting it off. For some it doesn't take much - for others they have to eat a lot of it to dump. So you may be fine having a little now and then.

I agree. Plus from what I understand, those mortality rates are actually on the lower end for surgeries. And way better than the mortality rate of staying morbidly obese. I actually think my plastic surgeries were probably more dangerous because I was under anesthesia for so many hours.

you're going to find very few people who regret having surgery. A couple here and there, yes - but most people, no. Most people claim their only regret is that they didn't have it sooner. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I should have done it years ago.

I'm not a revision, but I've been hanging out on various forums for the last six or seven years. A lot of people lose about 20-ish lbs after a revision, but it depends a lot on how much weight you need to lose. There are some people who've lost a lot more than that.

the dreaded three week stall - happens to almost all of us. Search this site for it - there are literally over 15,000 posts on it just stick to your plan and stay off the scale if you have to. It usually lasts 1-2 weeks, and then you'll be on your way again P.S. it's USUALLY the third week, but not always. Mine was weeks 2 & 3. My weight loss started up again during week four, and I dropped like 6-8 lbs in a couple of days.

you're right - the sleeve is phase 1 of the DS, and the DS used to be commonly done in two stages (now it's often done as one surgery). A lot of people did fine with just the first stage (sleeve), so it's become a stand-alone surgery. I don't think the DS is very common, even among high BMI patients. And a lot of surgeons don't do it. I think it's a pretty complicated surgery, and there are more risks involved than there are with VSG and RNY. another issue is that although most physicians are very familiar with sleeve and RNY these days, not so many are familiar with the ins and outs of DS. Some of the DS patients on other sites have said they often have to "educate" their PCPs on what their needs, issues, and requirements are.

it's a more drastic procedure and yes, many patients lose more weight with it, but like summerset said, the more drastic the procedure, the more the risk of side effects. I would have considered DS if my insurance covered it (it didn't - only sleeve and bypass) because I started at 373 lbs (was 316 the morning of surgery), but I was able to lose all my weight with the RNY (I lost over 200 lbs). There are people on here who have lost all...or most...of their excess weight with the sleeve as well. It's easier to pull off that kind of loss with the DS because of the more extreme malabsorption, but you'll still have to work at it. I'm surprised your regular doctor didn't think you needed ANY surgery. With a starting weight of over 300 lbs (and I was there, too), the chances of you losing a significant amount of weight and keeping it off are pretty slim (they less than 5% of people can do it). 300+ pounds is about where some surgeons will start discussing the DS option, - although many (actually most) of us get the RNY or VSG at 300+ lbs. If you're committed and work hard at it, you can get a ton of weight off when one of those surgeries as well.

yep as far as numbers go. It doesn't take me an hour to get them down, though. I take a small handful in the morning - then three in the late afternoon. Iron and vitamin C before I go to bed. I load up my pill container thingie on Saturday night (for the week) and then I'm pretty much on auto-pilot for the rest of the week.

anything with fiber - which would include many fruits and vegetables and whole grain things, but you're too early out to have much of that. That's why I said things *might* get better once you're at the point you can introduce those.

Nein!

yours may get better in a couple of days just from being off the codeine - so you may be fine. however, if it keeps up (and it does with a lot of us), Colace works, too (that's a stool softener). Either Miralax or Colace should do the trick...

yep - I still track every day. another thing that sometimes stops mindless eating (at least for me) - I'll eat a big bowl of bran cereal (like All-Bran or Trader Joe's High Fiber cereal). With unsweetened almond milk and some artificial sweetener, like Splenda. All that fiber is super filling (although if you're not used to that much fiber, you don't want to overdo it - you could be miserable 12 hours later!)

5 years and 4 months out. Yes - I do manage to rein myself in - but it's not always easy. I have an acceptable weight range and once I hit my top limit, it's all hands on deck until I get comfortably back in range. I really do have to be "on a diet" every day of my life to keep my weight where it's at. I can go overboard for a day or two once in awhile with no harm done, but then if I don't get on top of it, my weight will start going up pretty quickly. When I'm trying to pull it back in, I try to stay out of the house as much as I can - and I keep things around like sugar free Jello, baby carrots, grapes, sugar free popsicles, gum, various herbal teas. I just always know in the back of my mind that I could easily become obese again if I don't monitor myself pretty much all the time - and I know how hard it is to lose weight once it's back on again...so that helps keep me in line, too

OK - maybe you just need to move slower through the phases or something - your stomach isn't ready. How long have you been back on clear liquids?

I wouldn't take offense. She was just being upfront - there's no negative intention here at all. I'm not sure how one would sugar coat this to make it sound nicer. We DO see this question all the time. I really think the bariatric clinics need to do a better job about telling people about this early stall because it happens to almost everyone, and people really freak out about it when it happens to them if they don't know what's going on.

chronic constipation is a very common problem among WLS patients - or at least sleeve and bypass patients. A lot of us take a capful of Miralax every day to keep on top of it. Others take stool softeners, or magnesium tablets, or things like Smooth Move Tea. Just figure out what works for you and do that. Sometimes it gets better as you get further along and can eat more fiber (fruit, veggies, whole grains), but for a lot of us, it's a chronic issue. I've been taking a capful of Miralax every day for five years.

did you have bypass or sleeve? If bypass, there's a chance it could be a stricture - but in either case, I'd contact your clinic and just let them know what's going on.

your primary care physician can order it. in my case, my insurance doesn't cover them unless you're 60+ years old - but maybe they would have if I'd have explained it was for a baseline due to an upcoming bariatric surgery. However, I found out through doing one of those scans they often do at sports labs (at universities) and commercial places - I went there to see what my fat percentage was when I was trying to decide whether to go into maintenance or lose another 10-20 lbs. You can get those at any age since you pay for it (although I think I was able to charge it to my flexible spending account, now that I think of it...). I was 58 years old at the time, but there's no age requirement. The scan gave me that info (fat percentage), but it also gave me my bone density. The technician couldn't tell me I had osteoporosis because they're not supposed to diagnose things, but she did say my bone density looked a "bit below average" and I that I might want to mention it to my PCP. Well, I sent the scan over to my PCP, and she saw right away that I had osteoporosis and got me into treatment (at that point, my insurance would have covered a scan even though I was under 60, because I'd be diagnosed with it. I've since had a couple of other scans that my PCP ordered). your insurance may not have that age requirement, though. Or even if they do, if you're doing it to get a baseline for bariatric surgery, they might cover it regardless. Just talk to your PCP.

P.S. even if my osteoporosis was due to the surgery (and again, I really have no idea), I still would have had the surgery. I was under a lot more health risk weighing over 300 lbs than I am now. And besides, they do have bone-building drugs. But again, calcium supplements and weight-bearing exercise are a good idea and may help you avoid it.