catwoman7

^^^ agree with everything she said.

could be the gum - either air or the artificial sweetener they use. otherwise, some people develop intolerance to certain foods after surgery. Some become lactose intolerant - and some can't handle some of the artificial sweeteners (esp sugar alcohols - the ones whose names end in -itol. Like xylitol or maltitol or sorbitol. Those can cause G/I distress in some people.

a couple of things going on here - 1) purees go through you pretty quickly. You'll start feeling restriction when you move to solid food. 2) as others have said, you've had nerves cut, and it takes awhile for them to regenerate. So right now, your stomach isn't really talking to your brain. Just measure out what you're supposed to eat and eat that, rather than going by your former full signals. and speaking of which, full signals are often different after surgery. I rarely feel "full" in the way I did before surgery. Now, I start feeling a discomfort in my chest - sort of like a pressure. I know once I start feeling that, I need to quit eating or I'm going to be sorry. Others have even weirder "full" signals - like a runny nose or sneezing! So it may take awhile to figure out your new "full" cues, too. But this'll all come with time..

it took awhile before I needed smaller sizes - but then, a lot of my clothes weren't exactly "form fitting", since I wanted to hide my fat! But I can say that 10 lbs can mean a different size when you're at or close to a normal BMI. It's quite a bit more than that the further above normal BMI you get. I think I wore the same clothes for a good 30 or so lbs -- maybe more - at least at the beginning.

I haven't been to a Smoothie King since I had surgery because I assume their smoothies are loaded with calories - but then I've never actually checked. But I would definitely check that before going, if I were you. I make my own smoothies at home - then I can control the sugar and calories. I just googled their nutrition page. Even at almost seven years out, most of these are too high in calories for me (a meal for me is 300-500 calories - a snack more like 100-200). A handful of these would work for me calorie-wise at this juncture - but probably not when I was early out. Plus the carbs are very high, if you're on a low-carb plan https://www.smoothieking.com/menu/smoothies/nutrition/fitness-blends

he's just joking around

docusate should be fine. It'll come - eventually! Probably soon if it's been a week already...

I like them, too - I think we're among the few! I still drink one almost every day at nearly seven years out!

it took me a week. That seems to be pretty normal. There's not much in there - plus it takes a few days for your intestines to fully "wake up" from the anesthesia. Be aware that that first BMI can be a doozy. Some people start taking stool softeners or Miralax a few days before to make it easier to pass. May not be a bad idea...

from what I've read, about 30% of sleevers have or develop reflux, but it usually can be managed medically (e.g., with PPI's such as omeprazole). There are some who have it so severely that they end up revising to bypass - I don't know the percentage, but I don't think it's huge. It may appear that there are more people who revise than actually do, because people post about it. Those who don't have issues aren't as likely to post about it. Your surgeon may know the stats, though...

that's part of the reason it takes so long to have a BM after surgery, but still, that first one is often awful. Like passing a bowling ball. Stool softeners (or Miralax) make it a bit easier...

I'd mention it - if you're not on some kind of PPI, they may put you on one. A lot of surgeons automatically put all of their WLS patients on one for the first 3-6 months after surgery. also, not everyone is ready to move on to the next step. If your stomach is complaining, it's fine to keep at the previous step (in your case, purees) for another week or so before trying again.

at three weeks out you should be following your plan to a "T". You are still healing. You could really muck things up. It's pretty common to have no energy at this point - you just had major surgery, and it takes time to heal. Also, does your plan allow meat at this point? I know plans differ, but I'm pretty sure I was still eating purees at three weeks out.

P.S. I highly doubt it's a leak. They usually discover those before you even leave the hospital. Again, the constipation is normal - and I suspect the nausea is from that. And the red stool is likely from the surgery. So this all could be normal - but again, if you're worried, then I'd agree with the above person and go to the ER. Plus I suppose there's always a chance that something else is going on.

constipation is super common right after WLS. It often takes a week - or even a couple days longer - for that first BM. you might want to start taking Miralax or stool softeners, because the first BM is usually a doozy you're probably nauseated because of the constipation. That's very common when you're really backed up. and the red stool - yep - you had surgery on your stomach and intestines, so it's likely from that. Although if you're worried, yes - go to the ER - if nothing else, for peace of mind.

if your clinic requires 100% whey protein isolate while you're early out, then Premier isn't that - it's a protein blend. (or at least their ready-to-drink versions are a blend - I don't know about their powders). But not all clinics require 100% whey protein isolate - so if yours doesn't, it should be fine. I know a lot of people on here drink it from the get-go.

the stats are slightly better for bypass (for losing and maintaining weight), but they're not particularly significant. You'll find people on here who've been very successful with both surgeries (and unfortunately, you'll also find some who didn't do so well..). Honestly, your success is far more dependent on how closely you follow your program than it is on which surgery you choose. If you're willing to work hard and follow your clinic's rules, you'll do well with either surgery. you'll have to take vitamins with either surgery, too. There are greater consequences if you slack off on vitamin-taking with the bypass, but that shouldn't be an issue if you keep on top of those. And again, you'll have to take them with either surgery (there's one person on here who doesn't have to take them anymore because her labs are always really good (she had sleeve), but that's kind of unusual...most of us have to take them for life, even sleevers) there are some medical conditions that make one surgery more appropriate for your situation than the other. For example, if you have acid reflux issues, bypass is the better option, since there's a risk that sleeve could make that worse (whereas bypass usually improves if not outright cures it). But if you don't have any medical conditions that would make one surgery a better option, then it really comes down to personal preference. They're both good surgeries. with either surgery you probably won't be able to drink fluids as quickly as you do now (it's more like sip - sip - sip), but for most of us, that is temporary. I don't think I drink any slower now than I did before I had surgery.

I take normal-sized bites. I didn't the first few weeks or months out of surgery, but I do now.

it may have to do with blood sugar. Starting about year 3, I started having occasional dizziness that I couldn't explain. Had a complete workup at the doctor's office. Nothing. Everything normal. The next time I noticed it, It was about two hours after I had a piece of cake. I mentioned it to my doctor - she thinks it was probably reactive hypoglycemia, which sometimes happens in RNY patients (not super common, but it does happen to some). She thought that my glucose level just happened to be normal at the time I had the workup, so it didn't jump out at them. She recommended I eat something every three hours - preferably a protein - but if I eat a carb, to be sure to at least pair it with a protein. That seemed to have done the trick. At least for me. That may not be going on with you, though - you might want to check with your doctor.

I've had the ones they had at Aldi awhile ago (different brand, but same idea - chips made with popped corn (they were called Flex Popcorners, I think) - plus they had added protein (I think 10 grams of protein per serving (22 chips - 130 calories)). I think they were a seasonal item since I haven't seen them lately. I liked them. I didn't eat them every day -- just occasionally when I wanted something crunchy and salty. I just made sure to work them into my daily calorie range. (i"m several years out and don't worry about carbs anymore - I mostly just focus on protein and overall calories at this point)

it could also be some carb you're eating - or some artificial sweetener. Hard to say - but it's probably something you're eating

it's been a few years for me, but I think I was able to sleep on my side (my preferred position) at about three weeks out.

oh - and recovery is pretty much the same for both surgeries. So are the eating plans. there are some medical conditions that would make one surgery more appropriate than the other (e.g, people who have GERD - bypass is a better option for them), but if you don't have any of those conditions, then it's really going to come down to personal preference. I love my bypass and would make the same choice if I had to make that decision today, but we have sleevers who are just as enamored with their sleeve and would choose THAT again if they had to make the decision today. It's a tough decision...but both are good surgeries and you'll find people who've had great success with both.

we have people on here who've had great success with both surgeries. Yes, statistically the bypass yields somewhat greater weight loss than the sleeve (but we're talking 70% vs 65%, so it's not THAT significant), but stats are stats - you have people who fall on either side of those percentages - including people who lose 100% of their excess weight, and people who lose 30 or 40 lbs and then gain it all back. Honestly, I think your ultimate success has a lot more to do with how committed you are to your plan than which surgery you have.

very common. It could take up to a couple of months before your previous energy is back. 8000-10,000 steps a day this soon after surgery would probably be overkill for most people - if it's wearing you out, I'd cut back. Your body needs a lot of energy to heal. You'll be back up there soon enough...