mousecat88

Did you have surgery at Berkeley Medical or Winchester? I went to Winchester. It just feels... safer. lol.

HOLY CRAPPPP. Me too! I live in Martinsburg!

Totally unrelated - Yay a fellow West Virginian! lol!

I was going to quote-post a million times responding to everyone but that would be annoying so... thanks everyone! Haha. As far as the protein, I am very, very low. I average 27g a day. Yikes, I know. My goal is supposed to be 63-72g (if I remember correctly the upper end). With the soy shake a day I am hitting right under 60g... so, I really do need to keep it up. I simply can't live on 27g of protein. I'm glad I'm not the only one to have these nutty thoughts of being "the only one to stay stuck at 20ish pounds". LOL. I look forward to the coming months and hope within 18-24 months I can reach my goal... I realize most people hit it sooner, but I am TRYING to be gentle with myself.

I have seriously wondered this myself. If the dumping is causing low blood sugar due to the increased insulin pumped in, it would make sense from a diabetic viewpoint to have something a bit higher in sugar to counteract it. But, given our new anatomy, wouldn't that be unproductive and maybe even exacerbate the problem? Like adding fuel to the fire? Because it isn't going to be absorbed and digested like it would in a non-WLS diabetic.

I'm confused as to why you have a binder? Did you have open surgery? I've never heard of anyone with laparoscopic gastric needing a binder. I did not have any pain post-op except for muscle soreness and pain from the ulcer itself, which only hurts when eating/drinking. I had virtually no pain in the hospital. If you are in pain, please see your surgeon!

So happy to hear! I am *almost* two weeks from being diagnosed with my marginal ulcer. The Carafate is really helpful. I emailed my surgeon the day after the endoscopy and asked if maybe I should be on Prilosec instead of just Pepcid because PPI's seem to work faster than Pepcid. SO he switched me from Pepcid to Prilosec. I have struggled so hard getting enough protein though because I eat much less than I should, just because I fear the pain... even though it is minimal with the Carafate. I am only at 25g a day, but working on it slowly. Followup next week!

My (ex) bf and I have dated for nearly 5 years; he lives with me. The last year of our relationship has been rocky anyway, but ever since I told him I had decided to have gastric he became even more standoffish and argumentative. Two weeks ago we had a huge blowout over something completely idiotic, he comes back to the house, and says he has been acting the way he has because he thinks that once I lose weight I am going to leave him and that's all he can think about. Mind you... I have not even had the surgery yet. He said I am going to lose weight, gain self-esteem, realize I am too good for him, and leave him. Well, guess what, pal... I don't need to lose ANY weight to realize I am too good for you. It's been a long time coming, but I think it's even sadder that he is using my choice to get healthier as a justification for being an a*s. The only thing this does is put me in a rough position as far as someone staying with me while I recover. My mom and stepdad are going to take "shifts" as long as they can, but they both work. And the ex is currently dwelling awkwardly in my basement, but will probably not give me a hand at all. It does make me sad because I had hoped he would be there at the hospital with me... but then all of this BS happens. *insert gigantic eye roll emoji here* I am okay, though. I need these next 12 months to focus on me and getting healthy and fit and not dealing with unnecessary dramatics and stress. I have always thrived when single and he actually had moved out of the house for a year and it was fantastic. I hate to say it, but I'm looking forward to this new chapter - of not just weight loss, but of being single and free!

I am one week postop and have been starving since I was in the hospital. I am feeling really discouraged because I thought this would help with my hunger at least a little, but it did nothing?? So now instead of actually being able to eat what I used to and feel satisfied, I eat my 2.5 oz and continue to feel starving. I am also having the same old cravings and I worry that them, coupled with my hunger, is going to lead to failure. I could have starved myself without surgery.... Yes, I've contacted my surgical team and I'm getting a lot of "we don't knows" and have been forwarded to 4 different members of the team so far and I'm now waiting on the 4th to try to find an answer for me. I feel like I made a huge mistake! I am supposed to eat five 2.5 oz meals for 2 months and I literally sit and stare at the clock to run to eat at the 2 hour intervals. I feel like I am set up for failure because I can't go 2 months feeling this way! I'm even starting to contemplate ways to just stretch the pouch out eventually and just say eff it. It's a bad head space right now. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

I had the original plan of not "worrying" about getting into the dating scene until I had gone through my weight loss, plastic surgery, etc. I wanted to spend the next 2 years focusing on just me and my health. I was talking about this with my mother and she thinks it would be better to start dating someone before I lost the weight, so I know they care about me no matter my size. Personally, I feel more comfortable waiting so I am comfortable with myself and not adding to stress. That being said, did you tell your new partner after you lost weight that you had weight loss surgery? Did you mention it in your dating profile? I feel like I want to be upfront that, hey, I was almost 300lbs once and I do not want to be with anyone who has an issue with that. I would hate to get to know someone, and then have them make some snide comment about obese people, etc. I want to screen out those people. How did you approach the subject?

I am so excited - I found a really tasty soy protein on Amazon. It's called 365 Everyday in Unsweetened Vanilla. I mixed it with a banana this a.m. and it is so good I would have ordered something like it at a Tropical Smoothie. Heading to the store today with my grocery list for the pre-op and post-op puree phase (since most won't go bad): Unsweetened applesauce, various meat baby food, canned peaches/pears, sugar free pudding, about 60+ AdvantEdge and Atkins shakes, and 15 Healthy Choice meals for pre-op. Going to grab some cottage cheese and 1% milk as it gets closer. I'm not a huge fan of yogurt. Anything you guys particularly enjoyed during the pureed stage? I figured meat baby food would be best for me as far as the meat goes, because blending chicken/beef into a puree myself just sounds gross. =p What are some good veggie puree options? I figured maybe mashed cauliflower?

Nope, hadn't heard of it. I may check it out. I think I am just going to use Liquacel. It has whey in it, but it is mostly collagen and doesn't hurt my stomach. It's 1oz of gel per serving and that's it. Way easier than shakes.

Ohhh I got the liquid Carafate. Normally it's like 500$!!! But I hit my out of pocket max for the year so it's free. Yay! Just got a message back from my surgeon and they ARE going to add back Prilosec - don't have to open the caps though "yet". Whatever that means...

Haha I am currently having to crush giant Potassium pills twice a day and mix it with applesauce. Fortunately the pills weirdly have NO flavor. It's just a bit grainy. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

My surgeon isn't in the directory and I can't add him to my profile. His name is Rodolfo Oviedo, MD, FACS, FASMBS

If you want to be totally bored out of your mind, there's a TON of NIH studies explaining how gastric bypass "resets" your metabolism to match your new weight. Here's a boring, technical article that explains why this is only applicable for bypass patients: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5158101/ and here is a layman's terms article: http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/content/diabetes/art4005.html There was a really good article about it I found pre-op... but I can't seem to find it anymore.

I did read somewhere else on here that some people do take broken open Prilosec caps or compounded Prilosec post-op. Maybe that could also be an option? I just know the caps themselves are delayed release and useless. I actually just sent my surgeon a message seeing if adding broken open Prilosec caps will help heal the ulcer faster. I totally get you on the heartburn. Was never an issue until about a year or two ago. And it was basically every day and not related to ANY food at all. It sucked. I used to take Adderall (and then Vyvanse), too... so maybe it's somehow related??? On the brightside, after surgery, you shouldn't have acid refluc or heartburn any more. I don't have any at all! Once the ulcer heals up, it'll be awesome.

Marginal ulcer confirmed right along the staple line where my stomach and intestine meet. Not nearly as gnarly looking as yours, though. On Carafate for 30 days and Pepcid for 3 months. I hope it isn't recurrent! No clue how long it'll take to heal. It is what it is, I suppose. Just gotta keep moving on...

I only had surgery 3 weeks ago but my acne has EXPLODED. Both cystic and superficial bacteria. I desperately wanted Accutane, but looking at the risks, I wouldn't feel safe taking it now having gastric, given how fast everything can absorb (like alcohol). I went to the dermatologist last week and it was obvious he had never treated a gastric bypass post-op patient. He wanted to put me on a diuretic... 2 weeks post-op and already suffering from dehydration. So.... just keep in mind that gastric surgery is not that docs specialty and if you don't feel 100% safe taking it, don't. I ended up with a topical antibacterial. Retin-A topical only helps if it's your pores that are clogged. I don't know what type of acne you have.

Somewhere on here are my desperate threads lamenting my endless starvation post-op during that first week. That changed when I got to move to purees. Having liquids only is not satisfying - it goes through your tiny pouch so quickly! It was bad for me, because I have an ulcer and was forcibly dehydrated. I am almost 3 weeks out now and still dealing with dehydration and not even close to my protein goals (which they said don't worry about now)... and even I get satisfied with the purees/soft foods. I say satisfied because if you're eating until you are full feeling, you're eating too much.

I didn't have to do clear liquids pre-op. I had 3 shakes and an Atkins/Healthy Choice meal and side veggies for 15 days.

Hey everyone! We have a super secret private Facebook group for everyone that has had bypass in November. Do a FB search for Bypass'ing in November 2018 and join!

So, some may have seen some threads where I was complaining that it hurt really bad to swallow. I am 15 days out now and get about 20oz of water a day. I just got back from my surgeon and he is 95% sure I've developed an ulcer where my esophagus meets the pouch. (I am not a smoker) He put me on Carafate 4 times a day and asked me to resume Percocet. It really really hurts to swallow. Even spit hurts to swallow. They are doing an endoscopy Monday to ensure it's not a stricture, but nothing ever comes back up or gets stuck... it just burns like the fires of hell, lol, which is a massive deterrent to swallowing. They also put me back on liquids. I was on soft foods. Anyone else here get an ulcer? How long does it take to heal? It's really painful and really inhibiting my fluid intake. My everything intake, really. They don't want to put me on IV fluids yet though because my electrolytes are fine. Hopefully this Carafate soothes things! Sent from my SM-G930R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

Turned out not to be esophageal. We have matching ulcers! Right on the line between my stomach and my intestine. I only have one though... so you got me beat there! I can't imagine having FOUR!

I am fortunate that mine isn't bleeding. The surgeon said it looks like it's already healing. But it is VERY painful. The Carafate helps a ton though. I hope this isn't recurrent! How did you know you had an ulcer with there being no pain? Blood coming out... of places? (lol, sorry). Feeling a bit better today... not much pain at all with the Carafate helping. Having some... bathroom issues though. Not sure if related to the new medicine or the endoscopy or because I am now drinking more water. Quite gurgly in there. lol.