Born in Missouri

One of the concerns with any multivitamin is whether it contains all the vitamins and minerals that a bariatric patient can absorb. If the calcium in the multivitamin is calcium carbonate, it's not bioavailable (easy absorbed) for you because of the changes to your body. You need calcium citrate. The type of iron is also important. Some forms of iron are no longer bioavailable for you. B12 is also a problem. It has to be sublingual (dissolves "under the tongue") or you need to take injections from your doctor. Also, does the multivitamin contain certain micronutrients such as zinc, copper, and selenium? NEVER, ever, ever, ever use a GUMMY vitamin. They are a waste of your money because they are the worst at bioavailability. Write to me privately if you have any more questions.

@AELdoesRNY Good to know. How are you feeling? Pain? Appetite? Welcome to the other side!

@KimTriesRNY. Have you ever gotten lost? I think the topic triggered something in me. I don't usually veer off course like this. I knew kingcake was referring to acute pain, but it was too late. Triggers happen. Sorry if I hijacked your thread, kingcake, with my nonsensical ramblings. I was no help to you at all. I'd delete my post if I could. Perhaps I should take a break from this forum and regroup. I've really been feeling down lately.

I'm not sure what happened. I double-posted, tried to change the second post to something else and my real link (below) disappeared. Here's the link that was meant to accompany the message above, Sosewsue61. Sorry for the dead end.

Good to know, Chrisb428.

Fat-shaming and opioid-shaming have a lot in common. With fat shaming, people imply that somehow you're not trying hard enough to lose weight, or that you're "taking the easy way out" by getting weight-loss surgery... Opioid-shaming isn't much different. "I have pain and I don't have to take those drugs." or "Aren't you afraid of becoming addicted to pain-killers?" I've stopped explaining. It's futile. People assume that my pain is their pain. They're convinced that because they have a "high tolerance" for pain, no pain could conceivably be bad enough to touch them. After all, people who take opiates for pain must have no willpower or they're "just taking the easy way out". Chronic pain is not acute pain. Both can be severe, but generally, acute pain has a beginning and an end. Not so with chronic way. It lives with you. It sleeps with you. It gives you the finger all day long. No one on this thread said anything that I would consider offensive. That's not why I'm on this rant. Sometimes you just have to vent. Triggers happen. It doesn't help that I'm also in a semi-fragile state from recently having bypass surgery. I used to feel the same way as most other people seem to feel about opioid pain-killers. Heck, I remember when I refused to take even aspirin. Fortunately, chronic pain wasn't a part of my life for most of my life, including during my four pregnancies or while lactating. I'm thankful for that at least. Yes, I take opiates. And not just any old opiate. I take morphine. About 350mg per day. I also take oxycodone for breakthrough pain. If you don't know what breakthrough pain is, that's the pain that the morphine can't control. Some days, even my breakthrough pain medication doesn't help. And those are my good days. (Sarcasm). This is why I dread places like the ER. I'm a woman. I'm fat, and I take opiates, which translates into: "An attention-seeking, drug-seeking hypochondriac who needs to lose weight." (Some of you may have heard me say this.) My rant isn't actually over, but I am. I haven't slept (once again) and it's almost 4:50 am. Tomorrow I hope to consume more than 250 calories, try to drink at least half of what I need, and get in at least 20-30g of protein!

@jess9395. Haha. I don't remember what happened at the three-week mark. This is week nine for me. I've noticed no change for the last five days, but I hesitate to call even five days a stall. The way I see it, a true stall requires that after a bowel movement, you still weigh the same.

I actually remember losing more hair during my four pregnancies. I have noticed a little hair loss since surgery, but not much. I have good hair. Good genes, I guess. I'm in my 50s and still no gray hair. I've never colored my hair either. I pretty much ignore it. Just cheap shampoo when it needs it. My hair has always been the same dark brown with reddish-gold highlights. My great-grandmother was in her 80s and she had no gray either. My mother has some gray hair. My younger sister and daughter have some gray, too.

My first car was a 1974 Chevrolet Nova. According to Wikipedia that makes it third generation. My Nova was green. Not sure, based on the color guides, whether it was medium green or light green. Anyway, I called it my Green Machine. (I wish I could have claimed that it was metallic mint-green paint like in My Cousin Vinny... but it was just boring green. ) (An urban legend claims that the Chevy Nova sold poorly in Spanish-speaking countries because its name, spaced no va, literally translates to "it doesn't go". This has since been debunked.) I later got rid of my Nova (which I regret because it ran great) and got a ... wait for it ... wait a little longer ... an 80s Escort, which as you so eloquently and accurately referred to it as a POS. It konked out on the side of the interstate once, where I had to abandon it for a while, and when I returned... a semi... I kid you not ... flattened it. Boy, was I upset. I had two baskets of clean laundry in the backseat! That's all for now. I don't know the first thing about fixing cars, so my comment is pretty worthless, I guess. The other cars we've had, car that have taken my oldest two sons through medical school and beyond are Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords. Like Timex watches... they take a licking and keep on ticking. One of the Toyotas has over 300,000 miles on it.

This sounds nice and all, but just wait until you hit your first stall... or you've been doing everything right but you're not losing as quickly as someone else... or everyone else. Example: I had my surgery on June 13, 2018. My buddy @AlteredReality had her surgery on June 24, 2018. So far, and even though I had my surgery several days before AlteredReality did, she's lost 77lbs while I've lost 44lbs. Do I feel like pulling my hair out (I don't need to--- it's already falling out, but I digress...)? Actually, I don't, but it won't help your morale to compare your weight loss with others. There are numerous factors involved in losing weight, even after your surgery. Maybe you're losing faster, and your other FitBit buddies aren't. Or maybe it's the other way around. Maybe you're a competitive person. I don't know. There's a ticker available on this forum that you can use. You can still compare your losses with others, just not directly. True, there won't be all the same bells and whistles but it gets the job done. Losing weight is hard enough as it is, even under the best of circumstances (ie. weight loss surgery), so why turn it into a competition? If you're the only one in the race, you will always be the winner!

@nevertoolate . Head on over to Matt Z's Confessionals. HELL accepts check, cash or debit card. Now you won't feel so bad if you decide to cheat. (By the way, if a little espresso is the worst you can do in terms of cheating, you're in good shape.)

Nausea and vomiting are common complaints after RYGB surgery. These signs and symptoms are generally seen because of anastomotic stricture but could also be seen due to gastric bezoars. If not treated, gastric bezoars could worsen and also may lead to life-threatening complications like intestinal perforations. Always contact your bariatric team if you have concerns about anything. You know your body, but let your doctor know if certain symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting, persist. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4855426/ https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/418490-nausea-and-vomiting-could-be-bezoars/

I accidentally double-posted another topic so I thought I'd erase that duplicated content and put something else in its place. Is this the best I could do? Apparently. Did I put much effort into thinking of something else to post? Not really. Anyway... in case you've forgotten how to update your stats (all the information under your username) try following these steps. Make sure your dog, cat, or bird is watching so you can impress them. 1. Go to PATIENTS (top of page). 2. Select MY SURGERY. 3.a. Update the information under SURGERY 3 b. Select PROGRESS (see squiggly arrow on left side of screen) to update even more! 4. Paste a gold star in the middle of your forehead. Good job! While you're at it.... upload a photo or an animation above your username. If there's anything else you don't know, ask someone else. Just kidding. No, really. Ask someone else. I probably don't know.

Wow. That's pretty unusual for your incisions to become infected. And two of them?! Good thing you didn't ignore them. What did the doctor say? Or did he just write a prescription and didn't say much?

I know someone who uses Italian in a do-it-yourself packet with rice vinegar. I'm not sure how friendly vinegar of any kind is to a recent post-op. Most of your stats are missing, so I don't know when you had your surgery.

I tend to think the same way. Just make sure any meat is soft to begin with. Boiled or baked. Keep your bites ridiculously small. Then get chewin'. (I'd be hesitant to do the same with beef. Chicken and fish are easier for your pouch to handle.)

Get your knee checked out. Don't think twice. I have a chronic ankle injury that I walked around on for over a year before getting treatment. It's affected my life horribly. For ten plus years. I've lost my mobility. I have to take morphine for the pain. It's not worth risking. If you qualify for WLS it can wait until your knee heals, if your doctor thinks you need to wait for it to heal. Do you think it's a serious injury? You didn't describe your injury except to mention that it was your knee. An insurance company can't "cancel" your WLS for the reason you mentioned. That's a doctor's call. If your bariatric surgeon or your orthopedic surgeon thinks it's okay for you to proceed, then that's enough. What kind of insurance do you have? An H.M.O.? You seem to assign your insurance company a lot more power than they actually have. I've had two full knee replacements pre-surgery. I had my gallbladder removed pre-surgery. My insurance company had no say in whether those conditions precluded me from having my weight-loss surgery. Kindly describe your situation a bit more. (And, yes, I kinda think you're overthinking this. We all overthink things at times. )

@Naughty Glitter Goddess. And we'll be waiting anxiously for you on TEAM POST-OP! The view is great from the post-op side.

@Naughty Glitter Goddess. I'm glad my post helped to alleviate some of your pre-surgery jitters. I like to research and post various studies and information. I tend to post most of these topics in the GENERAL WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY DISCUSSIONS forum. Click the link below to see other topics. toc: topics of interest

I panty-fibbed. I love granny panties. They make me feel safe. Like a big-butt hug. Gotta have a little girly lace, too. I draw the line at bows, though. Those are for bras. (I remember when I got my first training bra. My only requirement is that it had to have a sweet bow in the center, preferably pink.)

So, when are you going panty-shopping? I'm looking forward to the day when I don't feel as though my only option is big-ass granny panties.

double-post

There's always commando.

You might find your answer here. Spoiler: Hair loss rarely lasts more than 6 months. https://www.drdkim.net/ask-the-dietitian/understanding-hair-loss-after-bariatric-surgery/

Misconception: Most people who have metabolic and bariatric surgery regain their weight. Misconception: The chance of dying from metabolic and bariatric surgery is more than the chance of dying from obesity. Misconception: Surgery is a ‘cop-out’. To lose and maintain weight, individuals affected by severe obesity just need to go on a diet and exercise program. Misconception: Many bariatric patients become alcoholics after their surgery. Misconception: Surgery increases the risk for suicide. Misconception: Bariatric patients have serious health problems caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Misconception: Obesity is only an addiction, similar to alcoholism or drug dependence. Find the TRUTH to these misconceptions here: https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-misconceptions