myfanwymoi

Your issue is top end and mine the other but sorry to hear about it all the same. Was it related to a food choice? I'm pretty sure my own med nerding suggests mine is bacterial. Is yours a blockage perhaps? Worth seeing a doctor anyhoo.

I started at BMI 39 went down to 19 and seem to have settled at 22 - 9stone 4lbs in English money! I'd like to drop a few again, but am at a healthy weight so working on tone with exercise. Like orchids and dragons I am post menopausal. I'd lost more than half my bodyweight now slightly less than that but not far off. And folk say I'd lost too much at my lowest which I found funny as it wasn't a concept I was familiar with. My tips for success? Follow rules and beware sugar because it's the devil. Not just because of dumping which is horrible but post dumping it's easy to allow it to sneak back in and I believe it to be a drug at least as dangerous as alcohol... Best of luck to you 😀

Essex - east of England 🙃

I weighed 230 at high point about 220 at surgery and now am 122lbs. The lowest I went was 114lbs but that was too low! My BMI is around 19 now so I guess I've lost over 100% of excess. I'm 18 months out and had an internal hernia op 3 weeks ago. Have skid back to unhealthy choices and for some reason tummy is not tolerating them. It did for a while! So I'm having to rethink food and toods to food! Thing is, it's where you're happy. Just I guess seize the opportunity - I was very strict with myself and finished losing weight 9 months in. Now I'm realising I still have disordered eating and I can't let go of that. Good luck to you. Even with my scary hernia I still believe I made a good choice. 😀😀😀

Not sure what live yoghurt in UK is good. Guessing that stuff is American. I have some alforex probiotics but would rather eat my bugs 😀😀😀

I love these forums: where else would you get bugs, poo trandplants, insect eating and discussions of grilling salmon in the same conversation! Imma look at the gut stuff too. Find me some fermented stuff. Question about kefir I'm told it contains alcohol and I'm abstinent from that for very good reasons. Would kefir wake up my booze monster? Is really rather not, you see!!! But I would like to try some new foods.

My goal weight was 140 and I'm currently 119. My lowest was 114 and I'm told that was too thin, a concept I'll admit I struggle with, but truth be told I was a little bony. I do have some loose skin (hw was 230) but I don't think my tummy looks much different from someone of my age who's has kids. (I didn't - only food babies!) My note of caution is this - ive just had surgery on a really huge Petersen's hernia (most of my gut had migrated out through the defect) and I'm losing weight again now without intending too as my appetite is low and food feels uncomfortable as it passes through. I wish I'd had a slightly larger buffer zone and an having to work hard to get lots of protein in now for the healing. When all's said and done you'll know what's right for you. I know some of my pals are worried I'm developing an annorexic type food disorder which I find hilarious but in quieter moments I'm aware that it wasn't healthy psychology that got me fat, and even with the two years of therapy I did alongside op (18 months ago) I still need to take care. That said congrats on your loss so far and, best things about my own transformation - I can move easily - jump, run even skip! I love clothes and I have my face back instead of the Mrs potato head I was wearing in 2016! You go girl and tickbit whatever!

Matthew Weiner has a good vid on you tube - which someone on here shared - forget who sorry- which explains set points post surgery and how to get past them. Definitely worth a look. http://drmatthewweiner.com/pound-of-cure/

I'm about 80 hours post surgery following a repair on Petersen's hernia. Had a CT scan Monday which showed abnormalities (60% or more of these hernias don't show in ct). So op was diagnostic and therapeutic both. They found most of my bowel had migrated through a hole in Petersen's area. Was lucky it had not caused more problems- have had intermittent stomach pain for six months. Anyway - reason for posting: don't ignore abdo pain after rny surgery. Weightloss can cause holes in membrane that encloses bowel. If this trapped bowel becomes strangulated (loses blood supply) can result in bowel resection - bits cut off - colostomy or even septicemia and death. They don't show on x-ray, often not on CT either. The bowel slips in and out of the holes making symptoms intermittent. So, abdo pain especially when accompanied by bloating or vomiting needs to be reported to bariatric team. Normal docs won't have a clue. A&e docs told me I had ibs in January. I'm glad I had my surgery, glad I'm a healthy weight, but my tendency to assume I'm ok and not make a fuss could have had dire consequences.

It's actually the middle one. And I'm glad I didn't have an incarcarated umbilical one. I was just thinking a hide n seek sneaky hernia was something patients like us should know about😀 I hope you're better and dancing funky chickens now 😀😀😀

@Frustr8 "Doesn't everyone with a RuN bypass inherently have a Petersen" defect, from when they had to puncture the mesentary to realign the small intestinal segments?" I think the point is that incision in the mesentery, which they are aware needs to be closed in surgery, creates a weakness and potential for the hernia. I'm told most of my bowel had migrated through a huge hole in mine and that this was unusual. The Petersen's hernias themselves used to be more common and often followed peptic ulcer surgery (not often needed now because of modern heliobacterial treatments.) They are becoming more common now as a side effect of bariatric surgery. I hunk my impulse for posting was because, certainly in the UK, the dangers of these aren't common knowledge in the general medical community - so we need to educate ourselves and be aware and wary. I'm now four days post op and worrying because one incision still really hurts and I keep getting loads of stomach wind. Wake up flat tummy and evolve into a misshapen zeppelin. I think I swallow air though. 🤣🤣

Defense against the dark art of not feeling good about yourself on Mr stomach of steel's part I'd guess! I'm glad yours was found eventually. Different hernias of course - Petersen's often caused by weight loss as stomach shrinks and fat dissolves things are pulled around. I was Q3 months post surgery when first symptoms appeared. The point is we need to trust our feelings about our bodies too. I think we generally know when it's wrong...

At 18 months as I relax my grip on intake (and my stomach accepts and craves a wider range of food) I struggle to cope. People tell me I'm too thin and I can't see it, but my fear is the sugar monster who wants to take me over again. We can do it. As creekimp says, huge changes. The key is kindness: to ourselves. And that's hard because who nearly eats themselves to death out of self love! But it can be learned. Be well

I've read about these cos my surgeon thinks I may have one. He's asked my GP to do a referral for an urgent laparoscopy. I saw her yesterday apparently today there's a note on my file 'reminding' her to do it. I'm terrified: I can't eat or without pain. Have had two half cups of soup today and two cups of tea. Had a tiny glass of frozen fruit smoothie and have gas, distended stomach and crampy pain again. Not sure which food is causing it as there seems to be a lag. Anyway. Just don't know what to do. Can't go to work as in too much pain/discomfort. Want to ring gp and tell her to look up Petersen's hernias as apparently they often present with intermittent symptoms and are hard to diagnose without laparoscopy. Anyone have similar experience?

It's like hugging paper - from my step-son. Was told I shouldn't have seen it as a positive by some friends but I loved it at the time!

Thank you- I think it is gas. Had raw red cabbage and green beans in salad yesterday lunch. Made mistake of eating today - corn tortilla avocado and feta and back in agony. Read the article. Makes sense. Always amazed how much pain gas can make!

Having issues- had probs with trapped wind before. This similar but different- was constipated then, not now. Gas pain bilateral under ribs worsens after food. Nearly went to a&e last night but couldn’t afford to get there. Considering waiting til pain abates a bit and driving there now. Any advice?

And sorry... Got tangled up in my own skin issues... What I can say is there is great joy in living in a body that moves without pain and looks good in clothes! I love getting dressed these days and I'm sure the joy of getting undressed will also return!!!

I'm very nervous about my body. Had a brief relationship last year and the guy found my skin a major turn off. Pretty soon it was his reason for suddenly ghosting on me... Or at least part. Just tentatively beginning something new now... We'll see!

Creekimp - what you said all of it. Years ago my (ex) husband bought me six outsize choc bars home from Switzerland. I ate them. Every last crumb and was sick with guilt over my lack of restraint. When out with friends at that time he said to them...”she wonders why she’s fat - you should see how much chocolate she ate last week!” Didn’t mention who bought it. I curled up in shame. It’s hard to be around this and hold on to the truth. But you’re doing a thing which is both brave and hard. It is not an easy way, it’s a tool, and there’s hard work ahead. I’m just at the stage now where I’m hitting maintenance and with it a heap of new and painful challenges. But I have a therapist and friends and I’ll get there. So will you. Be the best you can be. That’s the lesson to teach your daughter xxx

How do others handle this. I’m allowing myself to eat the bad foods again - aiming for moderation of course - but am scared by how much I want it and how hard it is to say no to myself. Strategies anyone? I’ve lost 100lbs and bmi is 19. Don’t need to lose more but terrified of gain!!

It's all good. I'm generally good at admitting it when I know I'm wrong - just hoping I'm not! And I wish you the very best too. I'm looking forward to hearing how you get on in your own journey x

Lustig et al. Potatoes not Prozac. All sorts of interesting theories and contradictions. I'm stepping back here and looking at my reaction to you. I can trace the roots of mine - it's fear and the old triggers of being told off/disapproved of. You will have your own perspective. I'd like to stop discussing it with you now though please. If it turns out that it was the thin end of a wedge of devil's food cake I'll be sure to come back and invite you to say told you so. But I'm hoping I'll navigate myself through this stage by creating some helpful rules for myself and being ready to change them to no refined sugar or flour etc at all if I feel it's necessary. Alcohol and sugar are chemically very alike but it's a lot easier to figure out what is and isn't booze eg the sugar in an apple v the sugar in a piece of 80% dark chocolate.(both things I've never ever binged on!) Best of luck to you. May you soon be skinny chick!

I had no problem with your dissent it was the tone. The point of the Livingston stuff is to create rules. I wouldn't try to have one drink. I have a total of 28 years of sobriety under my belt now and I get that. And sugar is not alcohol. I can abstain entirely from alcohol but sugar is rather different. For example whether it's fructose in its natural form in fruit, or dried or refined. I haven't yet made the decision about refined sugar: I am in the process of doing so. The comments about being ill were to explain what feels like an over reaction on my part to your comments. Good luck on your own journey. I had no granola btw I had nakd bites which are made from dates and nuts. 10g worth. So thanks for the hugs. Tone doesn't come out in mails. I don't expect agreement but I expect people to disagree in a way that doesn't denigrate or undermine.