Prestonandme

Monitor your feelings for the first 30 days after you re-start your SSRI. If you notice any changes (heightened depression, listlessness, feelings of loss of self-worth), or even any physical symptoms such as abdominal pains, headaches, or nausea that seem unrelated to the surgery, then have a chat with your prescribing doctor about whether you will need to increase your dosage or switch to another SSRI. Remind yourself that your doctor will work with you to make whatever adjustments are necessary to get you back on track. You'll be okay.

I haven't been here in five years, but I thought I should share what I've learned on this journey...
1. My sleeve was a very minor surgery. Less than 30 minutes passed between being knocked out and the recovery room. Quite frankly, I think this option should be more widely available for marginally obese people. Unlike the other bariatric surgeries - which change your plumbing, this is simply the removal of the stretchy part of the stomach.
2. Think long and hard about who you tell. I told a handful of family members and I think that was a mistake. I suggest you either tell everyone, or just the absolute minimum (spouse or care giver). Within the first year I was sure everyone knew and I felt I was being dishonest.
3. The honeymoon is real. For 18 months it's virtually impossible to gain weight, but after that, you most certainly can. My smaller stomach can hold 8-10 ounces of food and get refilled after about an hour. If you fill it with sugar or fat and keep refilling it, you can certainly get back all your weight. I initially lost about 90 pounds and that was too much. People kept asking me if I had cancer. I've since put 25 pounds back on and while I wish it was 15, it's fine. My weight is what it was when I was an athlete in college. I have used my reduced weight and energy to excercise and I think that has helped. I generally do 100,000 steps a week. Again, eating/drinking the wrong stuff and not exercising would surely lead to more weight gain.
4. I no longer count calories, but I do have a few tricks to keep things in check. I have designed a menu with a lot of 200-500 calorie meals and I have 3-4 of these every day. I burn enough EXTRA calories a day exercising to offset the calories I drink (I only drink 100 calorie cocktails - nothing sugary).
5. There's a lot of good and bad information on alcohol on this site. I waited 6 weeks (the European guideline) and the eased in with weak cocktails and wine. I don't think it hits me harder, but since I'm likely to have less food in my stomach, the effect is to be hit harder. I can see no reason to wait 6 months or a year other than minimizing caloric intake. The Sleeve is a timeout from your bad lifestyle, but it's not a permanent timeout. At some point you'll create a new lifestyle that will include birthday cakes, pizza, French fries and booze. You need to manage around all of these risky consumables. You should think about it ll as you enter your journey, never stop reevaluating, and constantly adjust.
I hope this helps someone...

I hope this information is helpful for WLS patients who need to have a colonoscopy.
I have one scheduled for Wednesday. After telling my gastroenterologist that I had WLS and have significant nausea problems, he prescribed Suprep for my colon prep. With Suprep, you have to drink 4L of Water, preferably in one hour. I know I won't be able to do this, so I searched online and found medical articles that said bariatric patients can take longer to drink the 4L since their stomachs are so small. https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/which-bowel-preparation-should-be-used-for-colonoscopy-in-patients-who-have-had-bariatric-surgery/ . But the article stated that the authors prescribed a 2L alternative, Moviprep, for bariatric patients because it is much more easily tolerated.
What upsets me is that I didn't find out about this until after I had purchased the Suprep. To even make matters worse, I found an article from the American Journal of Gastroenterology showing that of the three most common preps -- Miralax, Moviprep, and Suprep, "Miralax was successful in 87%, compared to 74% for Moviprep and 69% for Suprep" in adenoma detection rates. https://journals.lww.com/ajg/fulltext/2013/10001/comparing_miralax__versus_moviprep_versus_suprep.548.aspx
So I am really frustrated and upset right now. Not only will I have to drink double the Fluid amount that I could have, had my gastroenterologist prescribed with consideration to my WLS, but I have to take the prep that has the lowest rate of adenoma detection.

Whether or not to eat sugar after WLS is a bit controversial. Some will say "in moderation" and others will say "never again." This has to be your personal decision -- which is right for you.
A Cadbury bar is about 200 calories (you'll find a range of estimates if you google, but I'm going by MyFitnessPal's verified estimate). Are you eating just one at night or several? If you're having three, for example, you're adding 600 calories a day to your regular calorie intake. If that 600 calories exceeds your daily maintenance caloric needs, you could gain a pound every six days. In a worst case scenario, that would result in a five pound-a-month gain.
So think about taking two steps. First, decide whether sugar will continue to play a role in your life. Acknowledge that it may be *extremely* difficult to give it up and you may need to come up with a substitute -- something you can chew on at night if you are feeling cravings. Second, if you decide you must have the Cadbury bars in your life to some extent, consider keeping a daily log of your calories so that you don't exceed your maintenance needs. In this case, try to eat the smallest amount nightly that would satisfy you, and chew each bite as many times as possible to savor the flavor.
Lastly, if you decide you want to lose the regained weight, you'll need to recalculate your daily caloric goals so that you can start losing again. Be practical -- it's hard to shave off 500 calories a day for a one pound-a-week loss -- so set an achievable goal.
I wish you the best and hope your husband is doing well.

Are we twins or what???? Same here. Gained 10-12 pounds. Every single one of those pounds is chocolate/sugar. Still eating small amounts of food. Just addicted to sugar! I want to kick myself in the butt.

I got the sleeve almost 2 years ago and hunger has not been a problem so far. In the immediate aftermath of surgery, I had no appetite at all. VSG removes the part of the stomach that produces ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and it will usually result in less hunger (at least for a time). My appetite slowly returned over the next year but it's still much lower than it was pre-surgery (lower in both frequency and urgency).
At this point, I will get hungry if I go long periods without eating but even a small snack will calm my hunger for hours. Believe it or not, even taking my two daily Vitamin chewables will calm my appetite for an hour. Other things that work to calm hunger include: a cup of tea or coffee, flavored water, sugar-free popsicle or broth. I'm a little weird in that I don't eat full meals, instead I eat mini-meals throughout the day. It amounts to about 900-1000 calories in total and since I'm in maintenance, I don't at all restrict how often or how much I eat. I am still careful about the quality of the food I eat but that's the only type of restriction I practice. I don't know how my appetite will progress in the long term, but I have definitely not been tormented with hunger since my surgery.
Everyone's experience is different and you might be hungrier than I've been, but you should know that not everyone has hunger issues. I wish you the best in making your decision!

I am almost in my 6th month of post surgery for the bypass. I have noticed that my bowel movements have changed a lot since before the surgery. I used to be constipated all the time. Now I barely eat anything, and I have to go. Sometimes even in the morning when I haven't eaten anything I have to go. Has this happened to anyone? It is to the point where I can't even leave my house, because I am afraid I am going to have an accident.

I am currently 121 lbs but my electronic chart shows me as "obese." I called my doctor's office twice to ask staff to remove this classification but they said they can't -- they claim their office's electronic records don't show the "obese" classification, but for some reason it remains visible on my chart whenever I access it. So apparently I am going to be obese forever.

I am currently 121 lbs but my electronic chart shows me as "obese." I called my doctor's office twice to ask staff to remove this classification but they said they can't -- they claim their office's electronic records don't show the "obese" classification, but for some reason it remains visible on my chart whenever I access it. So apparently I am going to be obese forever.

I am currently 121 lbs but my electronic chart shows me as "obese." I called my doctor's office twice to ask staff to remove this classification but they said they can't -- they claim their office's electronic records don't show the "obese" classification, but for some reason it remains visible on my chart whenever I access it. So apparently I am going to be obese forever.

Same.
I have a acceptable 5 lb range. I also weigh myself every day. If I am over the upper limit for 3-4 consecutive days, I cut calories/watch what I eat until I hit my lower limit. I've done this 3 times already in the past 1.5 years. Each time took progressively longer (1 week, 3-4 weeks, 3 months). Mind you, I was also progressively less dedicated each time, lol.
This is one of the reasons why I am a daily/regular weigh-er. I have read too many times how others "suddenly", gained weight, that I don't want to not keep an eye on it myself, so I'm not surprised at "sudden" weight gain.
P.S. This is not to say that your "acceptable" weight range is permanent...this can change as things change ❤️ (i.e., if I get over my upper limit again too soon, I may up my range by 5 lbs...its not worth it to me to have to keep watching my calories...i'll take the 5lb hit. But so far so good.)

set an acceptable range for yourself (because your weight WILL fluctuate a bit). Maybe a five-pound acceptable range. Then set a drop-dead upper limit. Weigh yourself often. I probably weigh myself five mornings a week, but even once a week is fine. I wouldn't go longer than that, though. If you start getting dangerously close to - or even a pound or two over - that drop dead red line, then it's all hands on deck until you get back safely into your range again. I monitor my weight very closely because I know in the past (before I had surgery), my weight would start creeping up whenever I stopped paying attention. Before I knew it, I'd have gained 20 - or 30 - or 50 lbs. Don't let that happen. Just keep monitoring yourself and paying attention - and spring into action when you reach - or get too near - your top limit. It's way easier to lose 5 lbs than it is 50!

I first used XyliMelts (dissolvable tablets that are placed against the gums before bedtime) but then was told by my dentist to rinse with Biotene before going to sleep every night. I also keep Water at my bedside and sip it in the middle of the night if I awaken. I'm trying to be as proactive as possible by scheduling regular checkups and cleanings.
Yes, dry mouth is very uncomfortable.

Sorry to hear, Meow2. My A1c was getting progressively higher post RNY also, my high number went around 5.6. Perplexed, as the only sugars in my diet at that point were from fruit. Nurse practitioner cited the watermelon I was juicing was very high in sugar, and on a lower fat, lower calorie, lower food volume intake would really spike my blood sugar. It was like putting pure sugar in my veins with little to slow, offset or balance it.
To test it, she had me quit watermelon and sure enough, next blood work was impressively better. Though not fun, you might try only having fruit or sugar items AFTER, and along with, a Protein (and ideally, a tad bit of fat) intake. It helps to slow the absorption of sugar, has worked for me and better than where this was heading. Good luck!💗

I have been struggling with intermittent severe nausea during the 18 months after WLS. My weight last month dipped to 117.6, but now I am back to 120.6. Every time I have had an extended bout of nausea, which has lasted days, my weight drops because I have trouble eating even 50% of my necessary daily calories.
My nutritionist has me drinking Ensure Plus when I can't eat, eating creamy Soups, oatmeal, avocado, nuts, and other healthy fatty foods. She also said I should have a small meal before bedtime each night. I need to stabilize my weight so that I hover around 124-125 lbs. But we can't figure out why I'm having prolonged nausea and how to remedy it.
So far, I have not tested as having malnutrition. I take Vitamins daily. My one concern is that I am a bit Protein deficient right now even though I take protein supplements every day.

I didn't have neck or back pain, but had strong pains under my rib cage, usually after eating fatty foods. The pains were intermittent and sometimes would last hours, other times would cease sooner. Occasionally I felt winded, like my breathing was constricted.

A friend of mine gained back 60 lbs. seven years after her weight loss surgery. She was hovering at about 185 when she decided to take radical action to lose the weight. She began weighing and logging everything she ate and drank. She exercised more. And she became very careful about her diet -- giving up processed foods.
She is now back to 125 lbs. So it can be done.

Killing the sugar craving is hard. My mother is crazy for sweet. As a child she risked being bitten by a snake to grab a bag of lollies her mother had hidden on top of an old cabinet. That’s an addiction.😁
Some people can’t tolerate sugar after surgery and dump. I can, but have killed most of my desire for it & now find lots of things too sweet. I went pretty cold turkey. Ate food I made myself. No treats. No Snacks. No dessert foods. That worked for me but I didn’t have really strong cravings - just missed specific treats.
I looked for naturally sweet alternatives like fruit (just watch the serving sizes). Or even something with texture or a little salty when the cravings hit. I found freeze dried mangoes at my green grocer - yummy, crunchy & sweetish. Blue berries are fantastic. Melons are great too plus their high Water content is a bonus. Now I also make a plain chia pudding & add vanilla extract which makes it a little sweeter.
Read labels carefully. Watch the ones with no added or low sugar as they likely use artificial sweeteners instead & they still feed your craving.
Good luck.

I've been taking Wellbutrin for several years. It didn't interfere whatsoever with my weight loss.

Ok, this is going to sound weird, but it is what it is:
I have found that I have 2 “types” of vomiting: the regular kind, which involves heaving and seems to originate way down low in the belly. Then there is this “new” kind that developed after surgery: it feels more like “overflow”, as if its just stuff sitting near the esophagus and just slips out. Obviously the former is much more difficult and painful, but the latter is almost like burping and stuff comes out (and it feels like it originates way further up).
Now, i dunno if this even makes sense to anyone else but me, but yeah, i find the “original” way of vomiting way, way, harder and energy-comsuming now (if i even can..)
P.S. I was sleeved, and my vomiting ability/inability did not seem to affect my weight loss.

Perimenopause is the scourge of the gods. I had been normal weight until then and had been able to eat huge quantities of food and never gain weight. Then perimenopause: 136 to 245 at my highest, over the years. For some of us, our metabolism nosedives.
You were doing great and still are in good shape. You've caught the gain creep in time and you're doing everything right -- logging/exercising... Maybe you might consider making a long list of really low-calorie foods (e.g., radishes, cherry tomatoes) that taste good and can satisfy snack cravings. Also, come to the forum whenever you need encouragement. Even if that means a few times a day for awhile. There are hundreds of thousands of posts by people who are in similar situations and also by people who have managed to overcome weight regain. We're in this together through the ups and downs. And we all, every one of us, go through them.

I think the general feeling is to limit the carbs until you get closer to maintenance. Just getting the Protein and fluids in is a major accomplishment for a long time, and then adding veggies and some fruit is more than enough. Adding carbs and fatty foods like nuts and nut butters can slow down your weight loss. I reached goal in 7 months, but did not even think of adding a grain based carb, nuts, or nut butters until then. Then I added them very gradually, to ensure I wouldn't start regaining.
I am 18 months out now, and am eating a whole foods plant based (WFPB) diet now. I get all my protein in, but it comes from legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and non dairy milk/yogurt. I eat a lot of carbs now - but they are whole grains, legumes, fruits and veggies - nothing processed. I eat nuts and seeds every day. I also eat 8-10 servings of veggies/fruit every day, so I am NEVER hungry with that much volume. This all to say that there are a lot of different ways to eat after surgery, but initially, until you reach goal, you need to stick to your protein, Water, legumes, veggies. The other stuff can come later.
The first 6 months are where you are going to lose a lot of weight. The first year is the golden year, and you want to maximize the opportunity to lose as much as you can during that time. After 12-18 months (sometimes sooner, sometimes later), the weight loss will slow down, your body will start absorbing nutrients more easily, you will lose the tight restriction, and all your new lifestyle modifications will be the real tools you will use to maintain your new weight. The surgery gets the weight off, but you need to do the rest. Don't waste those first months. Hold off on maintenance foods like grain based carbs, starchy vegetables, and nuts/nut butters until you are ready to stop losing and start maintaining. Just my 2 cents worth. I'm sure others will have different ideas.

I'm only 7 months out, but I've stalled a few times. My dietitian actually gave me a plan for what to do if I stall out for two weeks or longer, and that's change things up.
Intermittent fasting, changing up your exercise routine, adjusting your calories throughout the week (doing 500, then 1000, then 1200, and then back to 1000, 500 and repeat). Stalls are there because your body got used to what it was doing (most of the time, there are other medical reasons for stalls as well, like Constipation and gas and such). If you are only doing the elliptical, maybe try lifting weights or doing a rowing machine? Change it up. Your Protein goals sound fabulous, but maybe add a few carbs in there here and there.
It's a lot of trial and error trying to figure out what works, which you obviously know. I think your weight is great, and you have done amazingly. Just hang in there, okay? ❤️

A friend of mine gained back 60 lbs. seven years after her weight loss surgery. She was hovering at about 185 when she decided to take radical action to lose the weight. She began weighing and logging everything she ate and drank. She exercised more. And she became very careful about her diet -- giving up processed foods.
She is now back to 125 lbs. So it can be done.

I had my surgery last year when I was 59. Great results, no post-op pain whatsoever, fast recovery, etc. My one poor outcome was that the 100+ lb. weight loss aged me terribly. I look about ten years older than I did when I was fat and my skin is wrinkled like a SharPei's. That said, the WLS was still absolutely necessary and a lifesaver for me.