StefanieSparklePants

Ok, sorry newbies, I need to hear from folks 1 plus years out. I'm 14 months out RNY and my Iron levels keep plummeting despite upped dosages of iron. Has anyone had infusions? Has anyone had infusions for the rest of their lives? Im honestly regretting this surgery now as it may kill me. Im eating iron rich food and taking larges dosages of iron. Ugh. I find out Monday if I get infusions. Im scared to death. This is just proof that you can do everything correctly with this surgery and still have major problems.

I'm a little over a year out of RNY (15 months) and already I'm dealing with nutritional deficiencies along with anemia. I take Bariatric Advantage chewable multivitamin twice daily (all spaced out over the day), I take extra calcium, B-12, biotin, magnesium, zinc, omega-3, and folic acid. Basically, I'm doing everything right and eating a very balanced diet AND still I'm dealing with anemia (which is common) and my calcium, protein, is falling fast (I get about 80 grams of protein a day). I'm so disillusioned and upset. I've done everything correctly. My ferritin has dropped 40 points since my surgery. I'm getting my first iron infusion (first of three!) this morning. Has anyone here or anyone you know had to have the gastric bypass reversed because of deficiencies? I'm thinking I'll need to convert almost all my vitamins to sublingual or opt for shots. Very sad. [emoji22]

I was taking about 120mg of carbonyl Iron and 120mg of bisglycinate once a day plus chewable Vitamin C with desiccated liver pills and an iron rich diet. I know about how to space out calcium. That was never the issue Some people simply don't absorb oral iron supplements. I learned more from my hematologist about bariatrics than I did from my bariatric center. Once your ferritin drops below 50-ish, your body loses its ability to properly absorb iron supplements anyways. After my first infusion, I was told I'd more than likely be IV iron dependent the rest of my life. Not everyone's story turns out the same, unfortunately.

Yoga, jogging. Loose skin is gonna be a thing no matter what you do, unfortunately. My tube-socks, pancake titties are the saddest part. [emoji31]

Never heard anything about spray vitamins or if they're recommended for bariatric patients. Did your bariatric team recommend them? Seems interesting. I take liquid iron supplements and I seem to absorb the liquid form better.

Moon Cheese!

The numbness is usually temporary. I had all sortsa incision site adventures after my RNY. Numbness went away after a couple weeks. Im 14 months out and to this day, if i hit my incision or bump it hard enough, it aggravates the scar tissue underneath and Incision site will even sometimes still ooze fluid out or just get red and puffy for a day or two then go back to normal like nothing happened.

Yep, everyone is different. Though, I would say that the idea that we dont absorb gummy vitamins is a bit misleading. Because I absorb my fiber gummies. I would never take a gummy vitamin as my sole multi-vitamin, but I dont think all gummies are terrible. I always question my bariatric team, because they told me I wasn't anemic when I was- they didn't do all the tests.

Also, at 5 days out, I remember SF pudding, scrambled eggs, anything with a pureed consistency, I was eating. But mostly it was me struggling with water and shakes. I'd have a few bites of egg or pudding and call it a victory for the day.

Toast was NOT in my plan at 5 days out. Toast WAS in my plan at 3 months out. Remind me, did she say she ate toast in her original post? I believe she said she had a scrambled egg. I was eating scrambled eggs at 5 days out (very loose scrambled eggs), because it was in my plan. Everyone's plan is different. I'm over a year out, have made goal, and have maintained my weight loss. How she eats, how you eat and how I eat is gonna look very different. Just because someone's plan doesn't look like yours, doesn't mean it's wrong.

Strawberries taste amazing now. I never noticed how good fruit was because I was constantly pounding Peanut Butter cups and ice cream.

If you irritate your pouch like I did every time I transitioned to a new food stage, it doesn't hurt to revert back to shakes for a day to let your pouch rest. That's what my bariatric team told me to do.

1.) Usually I can tell if I'm constipated by the lack of shits I'm taking. Don't go more than 4-5 days or so without pooping. Colace and Miralax are you friends. Walk around. You were blown up with gas during the surgery. And it cant always release via normal ways as it is not gas created in your digestive tract. 2.) Your pain meds are probably adequate-- Multiple surgeries or not. If you're really in more pain than you can bear, contact your surgeon or visit the ER. Extra incisions probably add to the pain factor. 3.) I never had issues wiping. But you might if you have extra incisions. It might be more painful. I would assume.Hopefully someone who you dont mind seeing you in a vulnerable position can help you.

Uhhh, I second Djmohr. My plan called for cottage cheese and toast sparingly. I made my goal weight and maintaining after a year. Everyone has different plans.

I'd stick to what your general doc is telling you. Nutritionists are not doctors. They're nutritionists. Check with your bariatric team and ask them if they agree with your primary.

I never had the liquid post-op diet. I was eating mashed potatoes (2 bites, mind you) in the hospital. You're doing well for liquids. Liquids are kinda the major thing for now. I wasnt hitting my protein goals then either. I dont think many of us were. Just stick to staying hydrated and walking around to get things in your system moving.

We dont absorb vitamins in our pouches. We absorb vitamins in our intestines. Usually, gummies have a higher sugar content and usually dont have the right amount of vitamins levels for bariatrics. I use Fiberchoice fiber gummies as a fiber only supplement. And let me tell you, I definitely absorb the fiber into my system. [emoji57] so, I don't think it's that we cant absorb them, because obviously, I see the benefits from taking a fiber gummy, so SOMETHING must be absorbing correctly, it's just they are often sugary, can trigger candy cravings and dont always have the best vitamin profile. My surgeon didn't recommend gummy vitamins, but didnt condemn them either.

Esskay77, Oh, I know what these are. It's cake! Basically. No tip-toeing around it. Cake! Lol There's Protein in it, sure. But even when you look at net carbs, it's a bit much. At least for a bariatric patient. And they run over 200 calories, the ones I saw. That's too many calories for a snack. It's a slippery slope. It's also a lot of sugar. Not fructose sugar either. A better alternative than actual cake, for sure. But still cake. That's like the gal in my old bariatric group trying to tell me ginger ale was ok, because it wasn't a real soda. Lol.

Doots, When I dump I sweat, get lightheaded, very nauseated, i dont throw up, but my Mom (who had RNY 10 years ago) has thrown up and had diarrhea. I get more stomach sick. And it takes about an hour to pass. I dump from even drinking too quickly. It varies for everyone. Just putting this out there--- A better way, besides a muffin, to get 20 grams of Protein would be to drink a Protein shake. I can eat chicken breasts now (protein gets easier when you can eat solid foods, obviously) and chicken breasts have well over 20 grams of protein. Never heard of any bariatric surgeon approved muffins...Ever.

For sugar cravings, beyond the obvious keeping your sugars low, I've found that NOW brand Super Cortisol Support helps with sugar cravings. I've had no ill effects from it. I'm over a year out, and have gained some of my appetite back, so it helps with that as well.

Did they only check ferritin? Did they check you TBIC and iron saturation? I was told My levels were okay too. I was dizzy from periods too. When i went into my general prac. She ran ALL the iron tests and surprise, surprise-- i am anemic. So, just something to keep in mind.

You'll have to try eating the muffins and pancakes to find out if you dump. We don't know how much sugar you'll dump on. I've dumped on 8gs of sugars and 15 carbs, which is about the stats of your "healthy" muffins. You asked for advice and we've given it. Doesnt mean We'll all agree with food choices. Think about it: you asked, in a bariatric group, mind you, if you'll dump from muffins or pancakes (things we really shouldnt be eating- things that landed us on the surgeon's table to begind with)- so yep! You'll probably get defensive at some of our answers when we tell you these aren't good choices to be making, especially if you havent met goal yet, especially if you are not even a year out. So, go ahead and test the sugar waters for yourself. As someone already stated, people dump with different things, amounts, ect. I dump if i eat too quickly or drink too quickly.

Despite taking the recommended dosage of Iron I still ended up anemic. Despite taking some of the best Vitamins offered, I'm 14 months out and still losing hair to the anemia. Sometimes your journey won't be perfect. I have new challenges now. I'm slowly restoring my iron levels. My hair keeps getting cut shorter and shorter. But, keep in mind, sometimes what's recommended may not always be enough for you/ might be too much for you. That's why it's important to watch for the signs and symptoms of anything..... Weird. I kept all my post surgery bariatric appointments and was faithful with blood work. I told my team about my symptoms a couple months after the blood work and they told me, oh, well your blood work was fine. I had my general practitioner run my blood work and It came back anemic. Anemia can come on quick. Weirdly enough, i have too high of levels of Vitamin D and B12. Go figure. So, the point of this ramble is to pay attention to changes in your body and you really do have to be your own health advocate and DEMAND testing.

Sorry you're having a tough time with fluids and such. I did too for awhile after surgery, and i had to take prilosec twice a day because I had gastritis. I had severe acid reflux and GERD before RNY, now it's completely gone, except a touch of gastritis now and then. Especially if I eat something that irritates the pouch. Adding a different acid reducer in the mix could help. Im no doc, but while I was having that pain it helped. Im so surprised doctors are still pushing the sleeve the way they do knowing patients are prone to such acid gerd issues after the procedure. Sleeve makes it a million times worse if you have existing issues like a hernia. Ugh. I hope you feel better soon!

Yeah, gonna ask a doctor. It's super weird and it scared my husband, but I was like: oh yeah, it does that every so often. The body is weird. Lol