2Bsmaller18

I had mild reflux before bypass. Then a year after surgery I began to have what I thought was reflux again. It was almost like I heard not felt bubbling. Like carbonation when I hadn't eaten or drank anything. I switched surgeons for annual follow up and the new surgeon took a contrast x-ray and saw that I have a candy cane or hockey stick off of the pouch and that my pouch had stretched or at least was bigger than the normal despite me never eating more than a half cup of food in one sitting and feeling a lot of restriction. . I think when food or salvia goes into the candy cane and then moves into the pouch it creates that feeling. The new surgeon said some people will have reflux after surgery and I had never heard that from the first surgeon.

If I eat rice it's because it is stuck to my Protein when I am cooking family meals so I may accidentally eat 10-20 grains once in awhile without issue. If I eat more a 1/4 cup of Pasta I feel bad so I avoid it.

On 3/28/2021 at 2:42 PM, JazzyJess20 said:

Ooooh! Thank you for all of the replies!

It is scary as hell to think that I may never be able to drink Ginger Ale or Coca Cola again, but I know these sodas do nothing for my health. Or weight. They're just so good.

I used to be able to finish a 2 liter of soda in less than half a day. And that is horrible, I know. I hope that after a few weeks, I just completely lose my taste for it.

Now why is popcorn a deal breaker? Did the doctor ever explain why?

I was told no popcorn for the first 9 months just because the kernels could get stuck. If I tolerated nuts then it would be fine. I tried 2-3 pieces without issue and a few months later had maybe a half cup without issue.

I could only drink the Protein Shakes really cold over ice. have you tried that or mixing it with milk so it's thinner and less sweet? You can try Protein Water (sold at Walmart and other grocery stores). Others loved them but they had a slight dry/chalky after taste so poured over a lot of ice helped and I could drink it that way.

You can also buy Fairlife skim milk that has more protein. I had to play a mental game initially to get enough protein and would pour 2 ounces in a shot glass and make myself take a sip after playing a game on my phone so I would sip and after 10-15 minutes I got that 2 ounces drank. I would also do it while watching TV and made my self drink the 2 ounces shot glass half way between every set of commercials. That way it didn't seem too overwhelming.

Greek yogurt also has a lot of protein that you may be able to blend with milk so it's not as thick.

I think I do look older but I after 6 months and reaching my current weight my neck area below my chin was super saggy like a turkey waddle saggy! 18 months later and it has improved dramatically. It just took time for the skin there to bounce back. It is still not perfect but you wouldn't notice it unless I pointed it out now.

Early on I had to use a timer or watch TV and only take a bite during each commercial break or play a game on my phone and only take a bite between each 3-4 minute game. It would take me 20 minutes to eat an entire egg this way.

I also started using a scoop of collagen powder mixed with regular Water and a mio water flavor to increase Protein.

I got the Premier brand grape flavored one at Target or Walmart. It has a slightly dry aftertaste but when I poured it over a cup of ice it diluted it enough that it was fine.

On 3/9/2021 at 9:47 AM, ms.sss said:

Ok, finally got around to taking a current pic of my arm scars, which are by far the worst of my plastics scars.

NOTE: I am probably an example of the worser-case scenarios in terms of wound healing, most people will fare much, much, better than I do. So don't get freaked out!

You can see in the before pic (taken 11 months AFTER PS!) that my scar is pretty red/purple and very RAiSED.

After the first round of steroid shots, there was a visible difference about 1-2 weeks after. It flattened out quite a bit, and got less red. The skin around the scar also started to pucker a bit (which was something my doc told me may happen).

I got a second round of shots about 2 months later, and now, two months after that, my scar is completely flat, even lighter, and the pucker/dimpling is gone.

I am deciding if I want to go for a 3rd round or just wait it out. The injections HURT, man. Hurt, like tears in my eyes hurt.

Anyhoo, here are the pics:

P.S. FYI ...I have read/been told that steroid shots are more effective on hypertrophic scars (which I have) than keloids. So discuss with your doc if this is a route you want to go down....

I am surprised how much the color faded. I had read that steroid injections wont help the red but will help flatten a scar. However it makes sense that if the skin is flattened out the the red color is over a larger surface area so it would then be lighter. It looks like it worked great for you and I bet it gets better over the next few months too.

My scar looks puckered still like your middle picture so I am hopeful that it will smooth out eventually.

Old scars are definitely thin lines or at least faded. I think I just didn't pay attention to how long it took to fade before and need to be more patient.

I went in for a follow up. The surgeon looked at the area on my stomach that had the steroid injection back in December he was surprised how it affected my skin. It's lighter and flat but my skin really thinned out so he said to wait another 3 months and come back and then if needed he would dilute the steroid and do the red areas.

This would be to treat the original surgical scars that would then be 15 months old.

I switched to a new surgeon for my annual follow up appointments.

Previously I would skip my Multivitamin I normally take at night (it has Biotin in it as well) the night before my labs and I am fasting when I go in for labs that morning.

The new surgeon (well the nurse I spoke with) said to take my Vitamin as normal the night before and I don't need to fast.

What does everyone else do?

On 1/14/2021 at 11:41 AM, catwoman7 said:

Ferritin is stored Iron - your "reserves" that your body grabs if your blood iron levels get too low. Usually when it drops below 30 or so they recommend infusions (although I know some people get them when it drops below 50, but not all doctors will authorize it at that level).

iron is one of the only levels that can be tough to bring up via supplements, but it does work for some people (did for me - my ferritin level once got fairly low - but it's fine now after I increased my iron supplement dosage a bit).

some people don't absorb iron well from capsules or tablets *at all*, even from the start, and they need to get occasional infusions to keep their levels up. A majority of us do fine on oral supplements, though.

So I saw a new surgeon that is closer to my home. he saw my blood tests with iron levle and hemoglobin levels in the normal range but he had me take a blood test for ferratin level. the lab test says normal is 11-307 but the surgeon said he likes to see his patient in the 50-100 range. I tested at 10.6!

Is this the same test that in your experience people are getting infusions? He wanted me to start taking 2 iron pills a day and work up to 4. I think they are 65mg each in addition to my bariatric multivitamin has 45 mg. I am only taking 2 a day since the Constipation side effects. It's been 2 months now and I am supposed to go in to have the ferritin level rechecked.

I think I am goin to start taking the chelated iron and see if that is easier to digest and helps my number.

Ugh such conflicting info.

How often did you retest? How long did it take to go up?

On 1/8/2021 at 11:47 AM, BigSue said:

I figured I'd post an update here in case anybody comes across this post wondering about the same thing.

I took my endocrinologist's advice and started taking additional Iron. I now take a multivitamin with 45 mg of ferrous fumarate, plus a chelated Iron supplement with 36 mg of iron, for a total of 81 mg of iron per day. I just got my 6-month bloodwork, and everything is great, so I think I'm taking the right dosage of iron (at least for now). I have no idea whether the chelated iron makes a difference, but it's certainly not hurting.

Thanks for the update. I had blood test done multiple 3 times over the first 18 months and switched doctors. The new surgeon tested my ferratin level and it was low. He wants me to take 2 iron (65mg) per day in addition to my multi Vitamin that has 45 mg. He said to work up to 4 iron pills a day!! Now I saw the video but it's 6 year sold re. taking chelated iron. I am going to switch to that and then have labs taken again.

I bet you are just losing form places that are not as obvious like your calves or arms. Have you taken any measurements? I would do that. You calf at the widest part, middle of your upper arm, mid thigh, waist and chest. I would bet you suddenly will start seeing the weight loss in obvious place soon.

Hang in there.

Same here however I would recommend at least trying a few Protein Shakes to find out what ones taste best to you. That could change post op but at least you would know ahead of time.

It wouldn't hurt to try and eat better pre op just so your liver is in optimal condition for surgery.

I think you are correct re the diabetes information. I would guess your numbers may increase some as you have some carbs once you are months out but I would guess not to the point of going back on meds.

I was at 300-400 calories the first month and worked up to 500-600 and stayed at that level until month 6. Then I was only 10 pounds form my goal and worried about losing too quickly (I know that sounds insane right!!) so I purposely increased calories about 100/week to hit around 1000.

I worked up towards 1200-1400 around the 10 month mark and now at almost 2 years am around 1500/1600 to maintain. Honestly that seems a little high compared to what others on here say but it keeps me at my comfortable weight. According to the BMi chart I could lose another 10 pounds but I feel like it would make me look too thin and bony ( also crazy to think that would ever be a thought re. my body).

If I see my weight trending up 2-3 then I set a goal of 1200 (but usually log around 1300-1400) and that will get me down those 2 pounds within 1-2 weeks. I do think that wont be as easy in another 6-12 months as I am out of the honeymoon phase so I keep logging food/calories religiously. If I see I am low on Protein its just a matter of fact thinking ok go get a piece of cheese or drink a glass of milk vs old me would get crackers or chips at the end of the day.

Call your MD to rule out a serious medical issue but my guess is the way you are sitting or moving is affecting your back and or hip and irritating a nerve. You may have lost enough weight that your body is shifting your center of gravity that will cause your spine or hips and pelvis to be in a different position and stretching a nerve.

Try to look at a you tube video for posture in sitting and when lying down. Use the recommendations to change your chair settings, put a book under your feet and pillow between your knees when on your side etc. Maybe even look at a video for gentle stretches.

You could also ask your doctor for a physical therapy referral or if you have been to a chiropractor in the past try that.

I had my arms and a fleur de lis TT revision about a year ago. The scars on my stomach are fading to a light pink and some spots are almost skin color. My arm scars are still a very dark pink and are wider than the scar on my stomach. I know with time they will fade more but does anyone else have some areas that faded much faster than others?

The plastic surgeon did a steroid injection a few weeks ago to an area on my belly because it was raised. It's been 6 weeks and it has helped so I am thinking if I should have more areas on my arms injected. I know we are not supposed to have any steroids after WLS but the plastic surgeon said the dose is less than 1% of what an oral steroid would be. Still, my skin gets really thin from steriod injections so I don't want to do an injection if not necessary. Old scars I have are all faded but they are 10-20 years old so I don't know if my arms will eventually fade as well or if I will be stuck with pink scars long term.

Any thoughts or opinions?

I can also eat about 1.5- 2 cups without issue. My surgeon said to wait until I was at least 6 months out and tolerating nuts and seeds well. I didn't try popcorn until I was over a year out and only a few pieces at first. It is definitely a slider food and would be easy to eat too much too quickly. When you try it pour some in a small bowl. NEVER eat it out of a bag. That's an easy way to over eat and get sick.

Try Fairlife milk. It has a higher Protein amount. If you have shakes left try putting it in the freezer for 20 minutes and then try drinking it. You can also try mixing a Protein Shake with milk so it's not so sweet and thick. Try protein Water (sold at Walmart). The grape flavor is ok but I had to drink it over ice and let the ice melt a little so it wasn't as sweet.

For me having drinks super cold was easier. For others warmer is better so you could try Fairlife milk with sugar free flavored sweeteners or sugarfree Hershey chocolate Syrup if needed. Just go slow in case the fake sweeteners bother you.

On 1/12/2021 at 10:31 PM, catwoman7 said:

candy cane syndrome is pretty rare these days - the surgery is done differently than it was several years ago.

When I found out from the new surgeon I was pretty upset. The new surgeon made it sound like it was the standard old technique and that the new technique his office has been using the past 8 years resolves the issue. My surgeon is fairly old (60/65 I am guessing) so I assume that's how he was trained and not that it is a medical error. I am just hoping that it wont result in another surgery down the line. It does make me regret the surgery a little and gives me anxiety that something major can go wrong now.

I went to a new surgeon for follow up since mine is far away and I had some questions I wanted a second option on.

I told him that I take my Vitamin at night with Water but sometimes in the morning I can still taste it or burp and taste it. I said I have to eat all day to get in my 1400 calories and purposely eat yogurt and lots of milk as slider food. There's no way I can eat a cup of food 3x a day.

He did a barium x-ray and said I have a bigger than normal pouch which was surprising since I feel like I can manage 1 cup of food at the most and often less but that it takes longer to empty. I am not sure if that is a partial stricture or just normal.

He also said that I have a hockey stick or candy cane that comes off of the pouch and it is almost the size of my pouch. He said his practice does surgery different that the "old standard" and takes more of the blood supply form the top of the stomach as they have found that it can sometimes lead to the candy cane issue. He said it is normal for some people to have a blind area in their intestine like I do with the candy cane off the pouch. However he said we will watch it and that sometimes they have to go in and remove that portion. Could this be your issue? Did he do a barium x-ray?

I have gotten sick maybe 5 times total in 2 years.

Initially I would get a runny nose. I have read others say that as well. Now at 2 years that hardly ever happens. I will get a tight uncomfortable feeling like after Thanksgiving was prior to surgery. If I eat too quick or don't chew enough then it can be very uncomfortable to the point of being painful and have nausea.

That happened to me around 1 month from eating refried Beans too quick or too much. If you search on here you will find a lot of us describe it as the "foamies" or slime. It's mucous. I would often have that and then most of the time would throw up a little bit of food with it. That made me feel better since I would also get really cold and have the shakes. The whole ordeal made me exhausted. It has happened maybe 4-5 times in almost 2 years. From eating too fast, not chewing and once from something that had too much sugar or fat. I have since been able to eat full sugar ice cream or candy (not endorsing that but it works for me and it is only ever a few bites) and go months without having a reaction. So for me it was just random.

edit-- after these episodes I always would go back to just liquids to give my pouch a rest and work up to yogurt after 18-24 hours. By 48 hours I was back to normal.

A home health agency might be really expensive. I would suggest looking into Care.com. They might have someone listed that has a lot of recommendations and can drive you and stay with you a few hours to help you get settled. They have baby sitters but senior care helpers as well and someone that works with seniors will have experience helping you physically get up stairs if you are dizzy or put your shoes on and off etc. They can help you set up your nightstand items and pillows within reach or anything else you may need help with.