Hiraeth

The Bariatric Advantage powder tastes too chalky for me, lol. My favorite brands are Premier Protein and Muscle Milk. They have a more liquid texture and actually taste pretty good. Premier Protein is the best option because it's low in carbs and sugar, and it has 30g of protein in each serving. They taste a lot like Slim Fast, in my opinion. You can buy a pack of 4 for about $8 at Walmart, in the pharmacy section.

Everyone is different. When I went to a support group, I met a woman who was getting the Bypass. Two weeks after her surgery, we all had another support group, and the woman who had the Bypass hadn't lost a single pound. She was doing everything correctly, and she was so confused as to why she wasn't losing weight. But a month later after that, I met up with her again, and she had lost over 40 pounds. Your body is probably in, what I like to call, "pioneer mode". Right now, your body is probably in a slight panic because it's not used to this new way of eating. It's trying to hold onto every last calorie that it can because it thinks that it's starving. You can't pull your body aside and say, "Hey look, calm down. You're allowed lose weight, because I'm just changing things. Don't worry, you're not dying." Lol. Make sure you tell your surgeon about your concern and see what he/she thinks.

This is completely normal. The first dreaded stall usually happens 3-4 weeks after your surgery. I had my surgery on August 4th. I was teetering between 214 and 213 for about 2 weeks. Then I started losing again. I now weigh 195. Some people say the stall happens after your body drops a bunch of Water weight because your body goes into a sort of "panic". Your body is confused and is trying to figure out what's going on. I call it "Pioneer Mode", which is basically your body trying to hold onto every last calorie that it can. Your body is so used to your usual routine of overeating, and now that you are eating a lot less, your body thinks it's starving. I don't know if this is what helped me get away from my stall, but I remember adding a lot of Protein to my meals. I went out for Japanese and ordered beef tataki. The next day, I weighed 212. So, I really do think it's wise to eat a good amount of protein to ensure you continue to lose weight and stay healthy. Stay with this. You will start losing weight again!

I've lost some hair, but not chunks. I've noticed I shed a lot now, and I lose a bit more hair than usual when I shower. I just started taking 10,000 mcg of Biotin. Definitely consider adding Biotin to your daily intake. It helps with hair and nail health.

Thank you so much!

Stay far away from any food that smells good. I did fine on my liquid diet, except for when a coworker started eating tacos. I didn't give in, but I had to walk out of the room until she was finished. Drink lots of water, broth, protein drinks, popcicles, anything you can to keep full. Don't give in. You've come so far. It will definitely pay off! I've lost 60 pounds in just 4 months. You can do this!

Lay flat? I was advised to not lay flat, because that's what keeps the gas trapped. I couldn't even lay at an incline. For two nights, I had to sit up at a 90 degree angle and doze in and out of sleep. If you didn't have gas pain from your gallbladder removal, then you probably won't have any gas pain from your WLS (this is not certain, since each procedure is different). I had my gallbladder removed earlier this year, and the gas pain was awful. It felt as if someone was slowly breaking my arm from my body. I also had bad gas pain from my WLS, and it felt as if someone had hit my shoulder as hard as they could with a hammer. If you do start to feel gas pains, remember to walk. I swear, it helps. I could go from having gas pains on a pain scale of 9, to having them go away almost completely 15 seconds after I started walking. If you are hurting while you're in the hospital, and it's late at night, tell the nurse you want Dilaudid. It won't take the pain away completely, but it will definitely take the edge off enough to help you sleep. The liquid Hydrocodone they gave me couldn't touch the pain I was feeling from the gas pain. The Hydrocodone did help with everything else, though.

I didn't need any help after 3 days. I had a lot of body aches on the 2nd day, but I was fine on the 3rd day. In my opinion, depending on how you feel, you should be fine on your own (unless you have kids). Just make sure you get in your fluids and vitamins. It would be nice if she would come check on you at least every other day.

Same here. I had the migraines for at least 3 years before I was diagnosed. My mom kept telling me it was just sinus pressure. But my gosh, the migraines were awful. A lot of women on the PTC/IIH Facebook group get so upset when their doctors advise them to lose weight. They feel like they're being attacked and belittled. But I've noticed that 90% of the people on that page are overweight. So, it's obvious that being overweight is a leading factor. Thanks so much! I am feeling so much better. Good luck to you, as well! I live in Alabama. Do you ever have leaky ears? My ears always get so wet with clear liquid. I'm in Philadelphia, PA. Hoping for a surgery date by the end of January 2017.....going on a 7day cruise the last week of April 2017 Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App Is this your last month of doctor visits? If so, you may have a good chance of getting a date by then. Good luck!

That's good. If the pain doesn't go away completely, you may want a second opinion. There's no reason you should be dealing with any pain.

This sounds a lot like PTC. Sometimes light can trigger it. I remember a few years back, I would walk outside at dawn (while the sky had a very light glow), and even then my eyes would hurt. It's like the dullest light would make my eyes and head ache. I'm glad you're feeling better.

Congrats on no longer having it! And yes, omg... The pain is horrible. I would get so sick and vomit several times. I can't believe I'm saying this, but, vomiting actually helped the pain fade a bit. It's like it was releasing pain endorphins. The surgery has already helped a lot. Thanks so much!

I had never heard of this till 2 weeks ago! By chance my glasses were broken at work so needed to replace them. My prescription was expired so a routine eyes exam ended in emergency lab work and a mri. My dad had just passed away from brain cancer a few weeks earlier so I immediately assumed I was next and had a meltdown in the doctor's office. My primary dr took the time to explain what was happening (my optometrist was vague even after my breakdown in her office) turns out I have a slightly swollen optic nerve. They feel since my surgery was a few weeks away there was no need to worry now. No one else I asked had heard of this! Thanks for sharing your story. Sent from my SM-G935T using the BariatricPal App Oh gosh, I am so sorry about your father. I'm glad they didn't find a brain tumor with you. I'm almost certain this surgery will help you. My optic nerves were VERY swollen, and I'm already doing better.

Same here. I had the migraines for at least 3 years before I was diagnosed. My mom kept telling me it was just sinus pressure. But my gosh, the migraines were awful. A lot of women on the PTC/IIH Facebook group get so upset when their doctors advise them to lose weight. They feel like they're being attacked and belittled. But I've noticed that 90% of the people on that page are overweight. So, it's obvious that being overweight is a leading factor. Thanks so much! I am feeling so much better. Good luck to you, as well! I live in Alabama. Do you ever have leaky ears? My ears always get so wet with clear liquid.

Gosh, I am so sorry you're going through all of this. I've read up on some of your blood work. High absolute lymphocytes can indicate a viral infection, a bacterial infection, and sometimes leukemia (this does not mean you have it). High monocytes can indicate stress, viral fevers, inflammation and organ necrosis, etc. (but your doctor should read the actual numbers on these results to determine which it could be.) Honestly, if I were you, I'd probably get a 2nd opinion. You should not be having pain only for the tests to come back "normal". It could just be inflammation or scar tissue. I would be most worried about your gastric organs not getting enough oxygen, especially since you recently suffered from hypoxia. If I were you, I'd try to find the best gastro doctor in your area for another opinion.

All of my friends were extremely supportive. My mom and sister weren't very supportive at first, but only because they were worried. I reassured them that this surgery is safer than a gallbladder removal, which I've already had. Then I invited my mom to a support group, and it made her feel much better. Now that I've had my surgery, my mom and sister both want to have it done; especially since I've lost almost 60 pounds in just 4 months. The people who are negative towards you are usually either insecure, unhappy, or worried. I can't think of another reason why anyone would be negative about having a surgery to better your health.

Good luck! You'll do great! It's easier than you think.

Oh I absolutely have encountered this kind of negativity. I work with a woman who has always treated me a certain way. Some days she can be nice, and other days she can be spiteful and bitter. When she found out I was having this surgery, she kept saying things like, "You'll just gain it right back. I know people who had it and gained it all back." "I've known people who have died from it!" "You can just diet, because if you really wanted to change, you would change without this surgery." What's so funny about this is, she is overweight and even more so than me! She's close to 350 pounds. I kept trying to tell her that it's not just about cravings; it's also about hunger. Our stomachs are stretched out from constant overeating. We can't diet because we are never filling the empty void that our stomachs have caused. So, the point of this surgery is to help make dieting a lot easier. But this woman didn't want to listen. She's so stubborn and negative. She has been on so many diets and she always fails within 1 week. Many people have told me that she's jealous and insecure, and that's why she says these things. I dealt with it by telling her I'd rather not discuss it anymore. When I said that to her, she called her relative and gossiped about me. So that definitely proves that she is extremely insecure.

Oh I see. Yeah, the hospital bed at the hospital I stayed at was awful, too. I'm sorry you're going through that. But I'm glad you're not having any surgery related pain.

Do you think the horrible pain was increased because of the surgery? Or has it always been this bad? If it's gotten worse after the surgery, then it's most likely because of trapped CO2 gas from where they pumped you full of gas to be able to perform the surgery. That kind of pain is also positional. I was unable to even recline when I was in pain from the trapped gas. I had to either walk, or be given Dilaudid. I'm glad everything else is ok!

Congrats! I lost 21 pounds in my first 2 weeks after surgery. The first 20-30 pounds come off very quickly because it's mostly water. It'll slow down a bit after that, but you'll still lose at a good pace.

You'll do great!

Anyone from the Birmingham, AL area? I don't live in B'ham, but I work in this city and visit often. Anyone live in Alabaster, Pelham, Helena, Montevallo, Hoover, etc? I'm having a hard time finding a work-out buddy. I'm not a member of the gym yet, but it would be nice to at least have a walking buddy, and even better, a walking group! I think it would be cool to have meet-ups to motivate each other.

Hey there! How are you doing? I would love to meet up with you after a support group! When do you plan on going to the next one? I think the next group is probably on the 17th of December. I'm not certain, though.I am looking to go to the one in January, so I can get some personal time built back up at work. How was your Thanksgiving? Sent from my XT1585 using the BariatricPal App My Thanksgiving was pretty good! How was yours?