catwoman7

I would guess that bariatric surgeons are used to dealing with people with diabetes and can accommodate that - but I'd contact them with your concerns just in case.

you're only a few days out of surgery - I'd give it some time. Sleep apnea usually improves (if not disappears) after significant weight loss.

I was able to take all but two pills the day I left the hospital (the two I couldn't were really big - I had to wait a couple of weeks on those). I'm pretty sure Colace was one of the ones I took right from the get-go. If they don't bother you going down, then you should be OK.

I had a desk job. I took three weeks off but probably could have gone back after two.

it doesn't really matter because that 60% of excess weight is just an average. As with any average, there are going to be people who fall on either side of that. People who really stick to their programs tend to do a lot better than that - and then, of course, there are people who aren't as committed and either don't lose much or gain their weight back.

that's not normal. Does your surgeon know what's going on?

like some others, I wouldn't worry too much about the bedside manner reviews. Surgeons jobs are to cut. After they're done, you'll likely be dealing with other clinic staff for your follow-up appts (dietitian, likely a PA or ANP, etc). It's hard to say whether the complications comments are due to her skill or would have happened anyway.

GERD is a possible complication of VSG, but like others have said, there could be something else causing it, too - like an ulcer or hiatal hernia. If it's GERD, it can usually be managed medically. In severe cases, converting a bypass will often cure it.

^^^ agree with Sunnyway - common but usually temporary

strictures, when they happen, are almost always during the first three months post-surgery - although I agree I'd probably let my clinic know what's going on just in case (they CAN happen later, but it's pretty rare - and you really can't keep anything down at all - not just meats (I had two of them - I couldn't even keep fluids down after about a week))

it probably varies between people. The only taste difference I noticed after surgery is that my sense of taste intensified - sweet things tasted sweeter, spicy things tasted spicier. I don't notice it anymore, though. I don't know if it went back to the way it was before, or if I just got used to it.

weight loss slows down a lot the further you go. Are you still following your program to a "T"? Measuring and logging your food? I didn't quit losing until I was 20 months out, but it was slow going after the first few months..

only about 5% of people are able to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. Unfortunately, I was not one of the 5%. I always gained back every pound of it. Surgery is the only thing that ever worked for me.

^^^^^ agreed.

if you're eating 800 calories a day, you'd be losing weight. I know you said you hate logging, but it sounds like that's what you need to do, unfortunately...

yes - a minority never loses their hunger. And another minority loses theirs permanently (I wish I was one of those!!!), but for most of us, we do lose it temporarily. It usually comes back sometime during the first year. and yes - I can satisfy my hunger. My biggest problem pre-op, and now - isn't really eating when I'm hungry - it's eating when I'm NOT hungry - (which for me is when I'm bored. For some people, it's eating when they're stressed). So it's mental rather than physical. It's a constant battle. But I'll do whatever I can to keep all that weight from coming back!!!

the Syntrax one? I like chocolate and vanilla powders (regardless of brand) mixed with almond milk (or any kind of milk) rather than water.

your surgeon would have said something if they were worried about your iron-binding level. Usually if something is just a little above or below the normal range, they don't really get too excited about it. how is your ferritin level? if that's normal, your tiredness is probably just normal. I think I was more tired than usual for the first 3-4 months.

pre-op diet is the worst part. I was actually relieved the morning I reported to the hospital for surgery! for most of us, anyway, our hunger is suppressed for a few months, so no, we don't feel the same way after surgery. Tired, yes - but I'm exhausted after any surgery (maybe moreso with this one since we're taking in so few calories the first few weeks). But fortunately, most of us at least don't feel hungry. For about the first five months, I was never hungry and didn't give a flip about food.

I always mix the fruit-flavored Syntrax powders with Crystal Light lemonade. I think they taste better that way - but then, not everyone loves Syntrax products.

P.S. they do have about 30 years of data on the RNY - although even over that time period, the technique has been changed a bit (and improved). Not as much data on the sleeve since that is a newer surgery. The sleeve is phase 1 of the duodenal switch surgery, and it wasn't offered as a standalone surgery until a few years ago (because many patients lost enough weight with the sleeve part of the DS (before having phase 2 - the intestinal bypass part of the DS) that they decided to offer it as a standalone surgery. It wasn't really until it started replacing the lapband ten or so years ago that it really took off in popularity.

the bright yellow urine is due to Vitamin B. It's a water soluble vitamin, so your body uses what it needs and excretes the rest. Bright yellow urine is very common for people taking vitamin B supplements and is not a concern.

Someone asked about long-term complications in the elderly who had surgery decades ago. You can't really compare, because weight loss surgeries back in the 60s and 70s were very different than they are today. They were very risky and some people (including a former co-worker of mine) had them reversed - and some people died from them. But again, there's no comparison to the surgeries they do today. Plus the ones they do now are much safer and much less likely to have severe complications. you should be fine as long as you follow your plan, keep on top of your supplements, and have regular blood work done to check for deficiencies. Most deficiencies can be reversed if they're caught early. I do have osteoporosis, but I have no idea if that's due to my weight loss surgery or not, since we didn't do a baseline before my surgery. But I'm also in my 60s and osteoporosis runs rampant on both sides of my family, so it could have been that as well. I'm on a drug now that maintains bone, though - and there are other drugs that actually build bone. Honestly, at my starting weight (almost 400 lbs), I was much more concerned about complications from being severely obese (like premature death, for one) than I was about complications from my RNY.

if you're on one like mine was (4-5 protein shakes + zero (or almost zero) calorie liquids (includes SF popsicles and SF Jello) plus a limited amount of tomato juice and broth) - then you may just want to ease into it, like some of the other posters suggested. That type of two-week diet can be brutal - I just as heck wouldn't want to extend it. On the other hand, if your two-week diet allows more food (like a low-cal, low-carb dinner or something), then it'd probably be do-able.

being nervous before surgeries is pretty common - and - you won't die. RNY has a 0.3% mortality rate - VSG is even lower (don't remember that one right off hand since I had the RNY). So you will have at least a 99.7% chance of making it through just fine. And you will. Those are outstanding odds -- better than hip surgeries, which they do all the time. weight loss surgeries have become very routine and are much safer than they were 20 or 30 years ago. You'll be fine!