ScoutCR

Agreed, this is the worst part of the surgery! I had so much pain after surgery that they hooked me up to a EKG machine to monitor my heart, but in the end they said it was trapped gas from the surgery. It took about 14 days to finally let loose and feel no pain between my shoulder blades. I wish you luck and know that it will pass and relief is only a matter of time.

Hi, So I can totally relate to what you are going through but if you are going to have WLS then your only real option is RNY. I also started out to only want the sleeve surgery but during my EGD they found Barrett's. I had suffered with GERD for years and my surgeon wanted me to do the RNY from the start. After they found Barrett's my insurance company would only pay for the RNY. By this point I knew the sleeve was no longer an option. BTW, I have done great with the RNY and I do not have GERD but I do take meds for the GERD. I also have been told to have a EGD every year. My surgeon says that a year after my WLS that he will recommend another surgeon who can repair my esophagitis at UPMC.

At UPMC in Pittsburgh my surgery was covered 100% by UMR

I was told by my NUT that liquids do not stretch your pouch. They pass through. I drink a huge amount of flavored water (72-84 oz) each day. I enjoy the flavor and it keeps me feeling satisfied. That said I think protein drinks would be a little different because of all the calories that would be consumed. More information on this can be found at this link: https://primesurgicare.com/can-drinking-water-stretch-stomach-after-gastric-bypass/

Ever since I started on solid food and eat just a little too much I first have small burps, and then even if I have stopped eating I get a runny nose. It is definitely my sign!

I found them on AMAZON before my surgery in April of this year. They did not really relieve my gas. Only time has made my gas problem better. 7 months out and it is soo much better than the first 3 months. LOL

I thought I was drowning the day after surgery when the nurse gave me a thimble of water. It hurt so bad and came back up instantly. They made me keep trying and eventually I could drink a little bit. Fast forward 7 months and I can drink almost as much as I like as long as it is flavored water. Plain water still makes me gag! My surgeon says it is a texture issue with my pouch. I cannot even take my vitamins or pills without flavored water. I love herbal teas and drink them with SPLENDA when I am on the road traveling, but coffee makes me ill every time I chance it which is about once every 10 days at this stage. My Dr says to keep trying as it may change over time, but I think I am done with coffee for the immediate future. He says I can drink as much flavored sugar free water as I want. My favorite flavored water is Mountain Explosion (mountain dew without carbonation) and AW Root Beer flavors as they are delicious and go down easy.

I still take big drinks of water but hold it in my mouth and release it slowly in my throat. I’m not into small sips as I’ve always chugged liquids. I had to learn this the hard way, but everything I have read says that you can’t stretch your pouch from liquids. Vitamins at 6 months out can be taken in one swallow but again I had to learn this the hard way. It took me over a month after bypass to be able to drink more than a sip at a time.

Try white fish; cod, haddock, pollack,; I’ve found that I can add 4-5 oz and not have any discomfort. Everyone is different but for me white fish has been a blessing as it is high in protein and is satisfying. Try it with a parmesan coating and it is better than any fried fish.

My 6 month A1C was 5.1. My Dr’s are thrilled!

You and I are on a very similar path. My pouch is also temperamental. I haven’t tried apples yet but I was on the Adkins diet at one time in my life for 16 years. My favorite low carb pie crust with apples was crushed walnuts or pecans with melted butter. You just take the nuts and crush them and add soft butter and press into a pie pan or cookie sheet if making a apple crisp. I’m sure an internet search will come up with various recipes for the low carb nut crust. Enjoy

I also travel nearly weekly. I find myself packing a box of different brands of protein bars and protein snacks. It is easier if its a driving trip but still doable when flying which is about 60% of the time. When on the road sometimes I don’t have the choice of the restaurant that I will be eating. I take customers out often. Most restaurants you can find a good protein and healthy appetizer. I often just get a cup of soup. I also have been the fast food route on the road and I mostly get grilled chicken sandwiches and deconstruct them and only eat only the chicken.

I had my RNY on 4/27/18 and could not drink in the hospital. My first sip almost drowned me, but my nurses said I had to keep trying. I did and it did get better but I think now I can drink too much!

I bought a dozen little glass 3 oz spice dishes from AMAZON and that’s my serving. Works great. No matter what we are having once I eat that serving I’m done.

Goo Steeelerrs! I am a huge Steelers fan, and I hope you are up to going! Like I said at 10 days you may be on top of the world! I was doing crazy things at 6-10 days that my Dr would not have approved of, like scrubbing all of our floors and walls in the house. Hey I was off work and felt great, but alas it did not last much longer as at 15 days I was dragging, but I only have myself to blame.

Think of it as 6 months of training for how you will have to live and eat after surgery. That is what I did during my mandated 6 month surgery waiting period. It also helped that the Insurance required that I lost a minimum of 3 lbs a month during that period with no weight regain. LOL, I had to get down to my underwear for my 2nd weigh in to meet the 3 lbs lost requirement. After that scare I got serious about making sure I was on track and no worries about getting rejected by insurance for my surgery.

LOL, I kinda noticed this too. I live on a 3 acre pond and the mosquitoes this year are not biting or going near me. I did not think about it too much until I saw this post.

I traveled at 7 weeks post op for business against my Dr's orders. I was ok but I would say it was not easy. I also think I paid a price for that trip. The weekend after coming home I had no energy. That said, at 10 days I do not think the effects of the surgery have hit you and I would have to say it depends on the stress of the travel you plan to do. You still feel pretty good at 10 days. I wanted to go back to work 5 days after my surgery, but my DR insisted I take 10 days with gastric bypass. It was the end of week 3 or beginning of week 4 before I felt the negative effects and I felt a lack of energy. I am now traveling every other week on business and I started that 10 weeks post op, but it still is not easy to travel and have a good routine and diet. I eat a lot of soup.

My surgeon said no way to vitamin patches. He told me a horror story of a patient who was in for the 6 month check up (gastric bypass) and had to be hospitalized for vitamin deficiency He said it took a year to get the patient back to good health. I had already purchased a 3 month supply, but it scared me into not using them.

Try the Star Kist or Bumble Bee flavored tuna packets. They are my go to lunch when I am home and in the office.

I can only tell you my reasons as everyone has their own story and reasons why they chose the surgery they had. I initially asked for the sleeve. I liked the less complications and thought that was going to be good enough for me. I was doing the surgery for health reasons even more than weight loss. My DR pushed hard for RNY but I resisted until I found out in pre op tests that I had barrett's esophagus. At that point sleeve surgery was not an option. I did a 180 and started considering RNY, but then my insurance said I could have RNY or DS but no sleeve. I asked my DR for his opinion on which surgery was right for me. He still thought RNY was the way to go but he left the decision up to me and told me the benefits and risks of both. I decided RNY was the way to go and so far so good health issues resolved and weight still being lost.

I feel this way every time I eat 1-2 bites too much of anything. I found chicken and shrimp are my safe proteins and are easily digested.

I wish I had said metabolic surgery it would have made my disclosure much easier and it is completely correct! I had read another post from Missouri-Lee's Summit that explained this further and it was a Au ha moment for me! Amazing that we are all doing this surgery for better health and are have such a stigma about the fact that we are having surgery that improves our health!

I work at a privately owned company that is self insured, so they were going to see the insurance bills...it is a big reason they are self insured so they see what is going on with their workforce! I also am a regional sales manager who was not going to be able to travel for 3 months so I had to let them know a few weeks before my surgery. It was hard as I saw judgement from one side of management, a few of them made snarky comments, but to my surprise, others said it is for your health and we are behind you all the way! If I did not have to disclose I would have just said I need stomach/digestive surgery.

Look you know more than the others here that you will be okay. You have knowledge that the rest of us assumed we knew before our surgery, so be confident in your decision. You are worth this effort and journey. Health reasons forced me to look at this surgery and once I made my decision I never looked back, but yes I had doubts about how my life would change and so did my wife. The 6 months before my surgery we had some trying times, but it is all worth it! I do not know your history, but as you know health issues resolve with this surgery. It is not the easy way out, but so worth it. Please go forward and give yourself a longer more full life.