catwoman7

just wanted to say that I've been working with the pre-op classes at my clinic for the last four years, and the two biggest fears they seem to have is hair loss and excess skin. I was the same way when I was pre-op and early post-op, but I think most of us "vets" on here would tell you that in hindsight, those are such minor things in the grand scheme that many of us wonder why we wasted even one brain cell worrying about them. I would take the temporary hair loss and loose skin any day over weighing 373 lbs again. ANY DAY!! people who've been around for awhile are probably sick of me posting this picture, but I'm going to post it anyway. I HAVE had plastic surgery, but this was taken before I had it. See any loose skin? No - you don't - because for most of us, it's very easy to hide in clothes. Of course, *I* knew it was there, but I highly doubt anyone else did. I just tucked it into my jeans or leggings and wore somewhat loose, long-ish tops with 3/4 length (or longer) sleeves. Ta da! Gone! (oh - and by the way - I hardly lost any hair at all. Many people do, but for most, they're the only ones who notice it. And it grows back)

check with your clinic. There's a chance it could be a stricture - you're in the right time frame for it. If so, it's an easy fix.

yep - like ChubRub, I had it off and on for the first two months or so - but the first week is the worst. You just had major surgery, so it's kind of expected....that's a lot of trauma on your body!

I haven't had revision, but I've been hanging out on bariatric sites for the last 5-7 years. It does seem to work for most people, but of course you'll find outliers. Sorry to hear about the above responder's complications, although fortunately, as with virgin surgeries, those seem to be pretty rare.

almost all of us experience our first major stall within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery. We call it "the three week stall" because it's usually the third week, but not always. Mine was weeks 2 & 3 - it broke during week 4, and I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days we get a question on this early stall at least a couple of times a week, and if you do a search on "three week stall" on this site, you will see over 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). It happens to almost everyone. And just so you know, you'll experience occasional stalls throughout your journey - it's a normal part of weight loss. Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a week or two if you need to, and know that it WILL break. They usually last anywhere from 1-3 weeks...

yep - ketosis. I used to love plain water - now I only like it at restaurants. I drank a lot of Crystal Light the first couple of years after surgery - now I drink mostly flavored (but very low or no calories) waters.

I had to do a six-month supervised diet, but I did that before i formally joined the program (my insurance would accept it as long as it was done within the previous two years, so I was fine with getting it knocked out ahead of time). So with that requirement out of the way, I started my program in January and could have had the surgery in March (after I finished the other requirements - classes, sleep study, stress test, EKG, etc) -- but because I worked in academia, my supervisor wanted me to wait until the school year was over to have it - so I waited until June. But otherwise, I could have had it done three months after I started the program (since I did the six-month thing ahead of time)

I think all of us have protein and fluid goals we're supposed to hit. with carbs, programs vary widely. Some are ultra-low-carb, some are moderately-low-carb, and some don't seem to care about carbs at all - so there's no universal answer to that one. Did your surgeon or dietitian give you guidelines on this? If so, i'd follow whatever their plan is. fats - I never counted fats. I still don't in maintenance. I now count calories (started that when I was several months out), and I still try to hit my protein and fluid goals every day. I guess I don't eat a lot of fatty things because I'd otherwise be constantly going over my daily calorie range, but I don't consciously count fats (although some people do) P.S. I should add I'm over five years out and have been in maintenance for 3.5 years, so I eat differently than I did the first year or two...

those symptoms are common and I think they're mostly due to the carb withdrawal. Your body should go into ketosis around day 3 and 4, and things get a little easier then. And you should feel better after the surgery - I think that pre-op diet was the worst part of it. I was actually relieved the morning of surgery that the thing was finally over! some people are hungry after surgery, but most of us lose our sense of hunger for a few months - so you're probably not going to feel as hungry after surgery, and you may not feel hunger at all.

yep - stalls will happen throughout your journey, and the vast majority of us experience our first major one within the first month post-surgery. Just stick to your program, stay off the scale if you have to, and know that it WILL break!

I didn't lose very much - but it went on for maybe three or four months (??)

I"m not sure about the restriction part, but I have pretty much zero interest in food in the morning, at from about 4:00 p.m. on, I could be an eating machine if I let myself...

check the blog "The World According to Eggface". She a long-time bariatric patient (and on the board of the Obesity Action Coalition, I believe) and she loves cooking. She has lots of recipes on her blog for all phases.

Hair loss usually doesn't start until around month 3-6, so you've got time! B12 - many of us are also allowed to take a sublingual tablet (i.e., one that melts under your tongue). See if he'll allow that option rather than the injections (although injections are one of the options, too - but i don't know many people who do those)

I was really worried about that because I HATED unwanted male attention when I was in my teens and 20s. But then I figured that since I'm now in my 60s, I probably won't get a lot of it. Whew. I don't (or not much, anyway - I got on Bumble once (the "BFF" mode because I'm married and thus, unavailable). I went over to the "Date" mode a couple of times out of curiosity and had a bunch of "likes". WTH??? I was pretty clear that I was married and not looking. Do these guys not read or...????)

I actually think you look great at that weight. I got really self-conscious when I got lower than that. I loved my collar bones showing, but when my ribs started showing, too, I was pretty embarrassed about it. I wouldn't wear low necklines then because you could see my ribs (can't anymore, though - I probably look similar to what you do in that picture)

how long ago did you have surgery?

pain with these surgeries is pretty much all across the board, so yes, having it is normal (and so is not having it). Sorry you were one of the unlucky ones!!

yes -- nerve pain. The OP didn't state what the gabapentin was for, so I had no idea. I assumed for pain from the surgery since she didn't say, and figured they may be doing that instead of narcotics nowadays, but then I have no idea.

gabapentin is for pain. Supposedly it's not addictive, so a lot of doctors seem to be prescribing it these days instead of opioids. I actually had very little pain with this surgery, so I didn't take any of the narcotics I was sent home with (I think they have me enough for something like five days). But if you're in pain, then gabapentin may be more effective than Tylenol.

I'm not sure this kind of thing would be too helpful, because people lose at all different rates for all different reasons - age, gender, metabolic rate, starting BMI, activity level, whether or not they lost weight prior to surgery, how closely they stick to their plan, etc. I was a slow loser from day 1, which some very insensitive medical resident pointed out to me - showing me a chart of where "most" patients are at point X, and pointing out how far behind the curve I was. It really bothered me because I stuck to my program about 99% of the time that whole first year. What else was I supposed to do? Change the fact I was female and post-menopausal and had a pokey metabolism rate? Luckily, I resolved to prove the jerk wrong and ended up losing 100% of my excess weight, blowing pretty much all the other patients in my co-hort out of the water. But I could have responded the other way - thinking I was a failure, and thinking that he'd just confirmed it. as long as follow your program and your weight trends downward (allowing for the occasional stall along the way), you're good.

I've heard some clinics are really overwhelmed right now because so many surgeries were put off earlier this year because of COVID, so they're playing massive catch-up, but even in light of that, some of this stuff you mentioned is weird. Like not discussing which type of surgery with you? Or the surgeon signing a nickname? as for the hospital, is there a specific thing people are complaining about? It could be something that may not affect you... I loved the hospital I had my plastic surgery at - the staff was great and I loved my surgeon - but their billing dept (which was actually outsourced - so not at the hospital) SUCKED. That hospital didn't get the greatest reviews either, but a lot of them had to do with the horrendous billing agency.

most surgeons seem to have their patients on a PPI for the first 3-6 months. It sounds like yours doesn't automatically, but maybe if you let them know what's going on, they will (???)

I was able to take almost all pills (except for really large ones) as soon as I got out of the hospital - so this may not be as big of an issue as you're thinking. As for extended release meds - they generally switch you to something else (not an extended release version) after having gastric bypass surgery since meds will move through you a lot more quickly. I'd double check with the prescribing physician to see if there's something else they can put you on that's not extended release before you go through the trouble of fighting with the insurance company to get the liquid Wellbutrin covered.

actually, RNY is reversible, too - but they only do it if you have serious medical issues (which are pretty rare) malnutrition is pretty rare as long as you keep on top of your supplements.