catwoman7

bananas and any really high-fat meal. I used to love going to Friday night fish fries before surgery - can't handle those anymore. Way too much grease.

^^ that could be true. I know it's true for liver enzymes - it's pretty common for them to become pretty elevated that first year, because rapid weight loss is hard on livers. They eventually normalize, though.

it seems like most of us use with baritastic or MyFitnessPal....so I'd check those two out for sure.

I did once or twice in the hospital - can't remember if it was after eating or not. I was told not to worry about it - it was just blood from the surgery - but again, I was still in the hospital when that happened, so at most it would have been within the first 24 hours post-op. In your case, I'd let your clinic know. I'm not sure if it's anything to worry about or not, but they'd know.

I found out I had borderline sleep apnea when I had a sleep study before surgery. I opted not to get a CPAP when the PA at my clinic said it'd likely be gone after I lost 20 or 30 lbs. He was right - it was gone. I can't speak for those with more severe apnea, but I know it does improve or goes away for many of us.

I didn't have problems with actual sleeping - but getting in and out of bed could be challenging, and also, it was about three weeks before I could sleep on my side (my preferred position).

they say that fewer than 5% of obese people are successful in keeping off lost weight. I, unfortunately, was not one of those people. I spent decades losing weight, only to gain it all back. Surgery was the only thing that allowed me to lose my excess weight (I lost over 200 lbs) and keep most of it off. no one can tell you whether or not you can do this on your own - but I agree with the others. A pre-op style diet is not sustainable long term. I would do this surgery again in a heartbeat. The first few weeks can be trying, but I have zero regrets (other than I should have done it years ago). It was the best decision I ever made.

I don't think I ate eggs quite that quickly, but plans vary. Make sure it's OK with your clinic that said, just know that a lot of people have trouble with eggs the first few months after surgery (I didn't, but I know many of us do)

bright red is less worrisome than dark red. It usually indicates a hemorrhoid or an anal fissure...both of which are more of a nuisance than anything dangerous. They're often caused by straining to defecate. But I'd let your clinic or PCP know regardless, just in case. If nothing else, for peace of mind. P.S. I don't remember if I had this after surgery, but I've had it in the past. It was from hemorrhoids.

I took three weeks off but could have gone back after two. I felt fine, just tired. Re: FMLA - it was several years ago so I don't remember exactly, but I don't think I bothered with FMLA. I had a lot of sick leave built up, so I just used that.

some surgeons have you crush pills, but fortunately, mine was OK with me swallowing small pills right away (anything the size of a pencil eraser or smaller). I had to wait two or three weeks to manage bigger pills. One of them they said I could hold off on for a couple of weeks, so I did. The other I cut in half (I bought a pill cutter at a pharmacy), so I was able to take it (although not all pills can be cut in half - well, *physically* they can be, but you're not supposed to do it). Just check with your clinic and see what they suggest

I haven't read about this situation before, so it's definitely not common. I hope they can figure out what it is - I'm sure you're miserable!!

not sure where you live, but lapband is rarely done in the US anymore - it's largely been replaced by the sleeve (VSG) as the non-RNY option.

don't take much to the hospital - you'll likely be sleeping most of the time. Phone and phone charger for sure. Comfy, easy-to-put-on clothes for going home (I just wore the same thing that I wore *to* the hospital). I brought toiletries (shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush and paste), but didn't need to because the hospital gave me a bag of them. some people have dry mouth after surgery and like having Chapstick and Biotene mouth spray with them (I brought them but didn't need them) other than that, not much else...

^^^ agreed. My surgeon said that only about 10-15% of his patients make it to a normal BMI, and the research I've read seems to bear that out. Most successful people end up in the "overweight" or "class 1 obese" categories (which is like 30 lbs overweight - WAY better than being morbidly obese!!)

revisions always seem to be slower than virgin surgeries. That said, you can always lose more weight by cutting calories....I mean if you're willing to do that (I know I could lose more by cutting them, but evidently I'm not willing to do that because here I sit....still 10-ish lbs heavier than what I want to be...)

I was post-menopausal when I had surgery, so I wasn't affected at all, but many younger women experience changes in their cycles, moodiness, etc the first few months after surgery. It's supposedly because estrogen is stored in fat cells, and a lot of it is released during rapid weight loss. It stabilizes again after the first few months, though.

you need to watch this. It's very easy to slip back into old habits and stall your weight loss permanently - or worse yet, gain all the weight back. I almost never went off plan until I hit maintenance at 20 months out.

chronic constipation is a problem for many of us. It's due to the high protein diet plus iron and calcium supplements. Many of us take Miralax, stool softeners, or magnesium tablets daily to keep on top of it. You may have to experiment with different things to see what works for you. And yes - fiber can help, too. If you can't handle things like grains or beans yet, you can always take something like Benefiber.

I sometimes eat yogurt for a meal if I'm not particularly hungry. Although I do generally try to eat balanced meals since bodies need the nutrients from vegetables, etc. But as an occasional thing, I don't think having yogurt for dinner (or lunch) is bad. I have it for breakfast almost every morning, in fact.

I started at 373. I was asked before surgery where I wanted to be, and I said "199" - which at the time sounded like a pipe dream - so I was shocked when I was told that was totally do-able. When I got to around 210 or 220, I said I wanted to shoot for 170-ish. They said it would be a challenge, but if it I really worked hard at it, I could get there (I eventually got down lower than that - although I've bounced up a bit in the last few years - but still OK..)

didn't think of that - overall carb withdrawal (and caffeine withdrawal) can cause issues, too

this would be a question for your clinic. It's pretty standard to withhold supplements for a week or so before a major surgery, but I can't remember if I was told that before my WLS or not (it's been too many years), and I'm not 100% sure if that would include calcium and magnesium. At any rate, what you're experiencing isn't normal - or at least not common. I've been hanging out on this site for over seven years, and I don't ever remember reading anything about this. I guess it could also be weather-related since most of the country is under a heatwave (my arthritis acts up when the humidity is high), but I don't know. At any rate, that sounds miserable! I hope you can get through to someone today to get some answers.

raw vegetables are kind of tough on a lot of people's stomachs early out. I think I was about 4-5 months out before I could eat salad.

I didn't set a normal BMI as my goal because I was told only about 10-15% of patients make it that far (and the statistics I read bear that out), but I ended getting there anyway (although I had a rebound and am now a few lbs over). my first goal was 199 and my second was 170, both of which I was told were attainable if I really worked at it.