Barry W

Hi there - I have 1 week until my surgery. I asked about pain meds, as they indicated that they may be difficult to source locally when I get home. It looks like they normally give oxycodone, I think in a liquid formulation. Oxycodone has a bad reputation for addiction. I am thinking of trying tramadol (like brand name Ultram). Tramadol is milder and has less potential for addiction. I expect it will be easier to find as well. How bad was the post-surgical pain? Has anyone tried tramadol? If so, was it enough? I don't want to deal with intense pain, but I can deal with some discomfort. Thanks! Barry

Don't set up a pattern where you are vomiting after eating chicken. This will create an association in your brain such that the taste and even smell, can make you nauseous. Skinless chicken breast is one of the healthiest protein sources going, so you don't want to have to quit it "cold turkey".

I liked the SlimFast Advanced Nutrition shakes (their newest formula) the best. They still weren't great, but good enough to drink anyway. You can also use Protein bars if you tire of shakes. Just avoid anything with too much sugar - more than a few grams.

Yes, cold cuts are processed meats, especially stuff like bacon, sausage, bologna, hot dogs, salami... these are considered unhealthy for all people, not just post op bariatric surgery patients. I think that a few cold cuts, like turkey breast, are much less manipulated and have fewer nitrites and salts.... On whole grain bread, you can alternatively use tuna salad, reduced fat cheese, or Peanut Butter as healthier alternatives.

I had a morphine drip in the hospital, but didn't use my oxycodone prescription they sent me home with. Had some discomfort, especially the first week for sure, but it was bearable. Main issue was getting in and out of bed for me.

Regarding exercise, it doesn't need to be a long, grueling workout. Just go for daily walks, and start small and gradually lengthen them. Regarding the alcohol, I'd suggest seeking out a support group or counselor.

I eat brown rice and other "healthy carbs" like legumes and fruit. I have not had a problem (with excessive appetite). I think this can vary from person to person though.

I had the endoscopic sleeve procedure. My scars are visible, but nothing dramatic. Five scars of different lengths arranged in roughly an oval layout. Length varies from about a half inch to maybe an inch and a quarter. It's been 7 months now, and they have turned the color of the surrounding skin, and I'd say they are nothing to be concerned about on me. My dressings didn't fall off, and I kept them on for a little longer, hard to recall exactly, but I think 5-7 days. And then I replaced them with new, low adhesion bandages applied fresh after each shower and used a topical antibiotic spray as a prep. Did that for maybe another week. I was careful not to press the wounds with fingertips for the most part - I did make a mistake of scratching under my shirt on one of the small wounds and actually broke the scar tissue very easily - it's very weak at first. So don't scratch any itches. Didn't get an infection though - the other measures probably helping.

Yep, as the others say, I think that so long as you are already doing the right things, just be patient, and progress will come. Don't try to do anything extreme with diet or exercise or you may damage your metabolism (or worse).

There are a lot of anti-carb evangelists out there. As to carbs being of zero biological value (and only being a negative), I would direct people to look at research articles looking at epidemiological findings of diet components of whole grains. For example, this one entitled "Consumption of whole grains and Cereal Fiber and total and cause-specific mortality: prospective analysis of 367,442 individuals". https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4371798/ ...which states "Consumption of whole grains were inversely associated with risk of all-cause mortality"... you will find similar findings from MD/PhD Walter Willett of Harvard, who manages the large multi-decade Nurses Health Study. All carbs are not alike. Those foods containing substantial nutrients and fiber with them can be beneficial. Not saying you should eat HUGE amounts of multigrain bread, fruit or legumes - all healthy carb-containing foods, but studies show that in moderate amounts, they are beneficial. People can do whatever they like, but my opinion on carbs is that one should not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I had the same problem, think that's normal. You're just going to have to sleep the best you can on your back for a little while. As I recall, first I could only lie on my back comfortably, then on my side, and finally on my stomach. I don't recall exactly, but I think it was 4-6 weeks before I was really comfortable lying on my stomach again.

I am a chemist and I think there is an awful lot of bad information out there that can be confusing for both lay people and health care workers alike. If you don't have confidence in your nutritionist I wouldn't hesitate to find someone else to advise you. Also, once you get past the special restrictions of the first 2-3 months, you should basically be following the same nutritional advice as everyone else - lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, emphasizing fish, skinless turkey and chicken for Protein, plenty of legumes, and moderate amounts of healthy (fiber-rich) whole grain carbs, along with portion control to keep your weight moving down.

Progress has been very slow these past few months, but I am down to 228lb, and I see that I have just ducked under the bar for the obese category - very psyched! Spent the past week at the beach in NC with family, and for once in recent years, didn't feel ashamed of my body. Also got in a lot of good exercise walking and bodysurfing, feel a little more spring in my step after all that activity

The first couple of weeks are were pretty rough for me, but then things got better day by day. Your body has to make many adjustments and so does your mind. Stay positive and do your part and good things will happen over time...

Yeah, if it's not dry skin or a rash that came from some known agent - like a harsh cleaning chemical you used without gloves or something... then I start to suspect an allergic reaction. If it's just the skin, you could try a topical antihistamine, but if you also have swelling, then you could try either Benadryl or Claritin antihistamine pills (Claritin doesn't make you drowsy, and there are also store brand versions of Claritin - from CVS and Walgreens). You can also try switching to dye and perfume free bath soap, shampoo, and laundry soap - hypoallergenic personal care and laundry products. The extra chemicals in these can certainly cause issues for some people, and there is no downside to making such a change. The problem could be unrelated to the surgery.

I probably have 5 cups of coffee per day, usually made with Land o' Lakes fat-free creamer (IMO opinion easily the best fat-free creamer) and Splenda.

In terms of eating, some things I do that I think are helpful are: I try to minimize carbs that don't have good Fiber - stick mainly with whole grain breads and cereals, fruits, and legumes in the carb category - sugars and simple starches can make you hungrier, in addition to being less healthy I do try to eat with good variety, not just chicken breast and broccoli 24x7, I mix it up, try new things, like making my own smoothies, or trying the par-boiled farro and bulgur grains that Trader Joe's sells, a recipe for seared lemon-pepper fish filet... I do allow myself some fun foods, but they are rarely "the full monty", for example I might have a frozen yogurt bar, some whole grain crackers with guacamole, a small veggie pizza with whole grain crust Mentally speaking, if I find myself thinking of a big slab of blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream, or a large pizza with pepperoni and sausage and extra cheese... I "change the channel" mentally, quick!

Awesome job, Tony!

I am almost 6 months post-op, and have had iced tea from a cup when out probably a dozen times and drank it from a straw, no problems for me. Mebbe I have good straw technique?

I am 6 foot male, age 57, and I am a little shy of 6 months post-op. The last I checked, I was eating about 1600 calories per day.

I eat a lot of salads, mostly the prepared leafy salads from Trader Joe's, as a low-calorie, healthy lunch. I enjoy them. Most of them have some skinless chicken breast or soybeans in them for Protein, but I also really like their curried cauliflower and kale salad. I also eat a fair number of the prepared legume salads - black bean, chickpea, and edamame, from Cedar's for lunch - good low cal protein and oodles of soluble Fiber.

I am 57 and working on improving health, so didn't really drink much before surgery either. First alcoholic drink was a wine glass of (still/non-bubbly) hard cider - very similar to white wine, at about 4 months. Maybe 8oz at the most. It was good tho, and I had no ill effects :-)

I started to "cheat" around day 8 too - the liquids were very monotonous. I didn't start eating anything fatty or hard/tough but I began to eat some soft foods then - just chose carefully and ate slowly and I was okay.

I don't follow this rule so tightly. I will say that I used to drink a good sized glass of Water or iced tea with dinner, and now I either have no liquid or just a few sips. Otherwise it reduces what I can eat too much. So I have adjusted what I do, but what I am doing isn't too difficult or rigid - just reduce the liquids taken with the meal and all the time listen to the body and specifically the tummy...

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Regarding the Protein, you can try Protein Bars - not sure if they taste a lot better, but it's a different form than the shakes. I use both just to lessen my getting tired of them. Pure Protein and Think Thin make protein bars that are widely available, decently priced (about $1.50 each), and have about 20g of protein and 1g of sugar. As far as the scar healing, I remember that I opened one of my wounds by scratching under my shirt while it itched. The scar tissue is very soft/weak at first and breaks easily. If you use some kind of low adhesive bandage or dressing on the troublesome one it will help to protect it from fingers or anything else rubbing on it.