AZhiker

Yes. The original "intestinal bypass" surgery removed about 20 ft. of intestines. More than thirty thousand surgeries were performed before the bad outcomes were recognized, namely protein-induced liver disease which progressed to fatal hepatic necrosis. The surgical procedures for bypass have been improved and refined, with lower rates of mortality than from a total knee replacement. I don't think you have to worry about malnutrition as long as you take your required supplements and eat a healthy diet. It's very curious that many overweight/obese people worry about malnutrition, when in actuality they are over nourished. My mom really struggles with that. She is overweight, but refuses to follow any kind of reasonable restriction of carbs and fruit, because she is afraid of not getting enough vitamins, and she takes way more supplements than necessary. Anyway, with bypass, you will be taking vitamins for the rest of your life and will be getting blood tests to monitor your vitamin and protein levels. One of the reasons for regain, however, after 2 or 3 years, is that the body actually does get better at absorbing the nutrition.

This would be a battle to choose, IMHO. The tech needs re-education. If she/he is doing that with other drug screens, those tests are totally invalid. You might consider going to the lab director and asking to be retested. This is actually a patient safety issue, and you could frame it that way. Imagine if tests ARE getting mixed up! The implications for patients and liability for the hospital is astronomical. And we know how hospitals like to avoid anything that costs money. You may have discovered a huge opportunity for patient safety. If the lab director doesn't do anything, continue up the chain of command. The Quality/Risk department would also be a place to stop and have a chat.

No, no, no!!!!! The pee must remain in your sight at all times until you see the jar sealed and you initial it. Your test was completely invalid! Did the surgeon's office do this, or was it at a lab?

I was 63 when I had surgery and I am healthier, stronger, more alive now than I was 20 years ago. Really! I have more energy, sleep better, am more alert mentally, and can do so much more physically. My physical immobility was literally killing me, as were all the other co-morbidities of obesity. Nutritionally, I can tell that I am not absorbing fat well, as my stools are "floaties", but all my labs come back just fine for the protein, vitamins, and minerals. I take a multi with iron, B-12, calcium citrate, and vit D3. That is all for the requirements. I do add extra spice/herb supplements to my cooking, like tumeric, ginger, cinnamon, and black cumin to help with inflammation, but that is just my own thing, Over time, even with the ileum bypassed, the jejunum learns to take over more absorption function. Malabsorbtion was a very bad problem with the early bypass surgeries. It had horrific consequences for patients. Not any more. After surgery, you must commit to eating the most nutritionally dense diet possible. Every bite counts, because you don't have room for many bites to start with. Any junk food is just cheating you out of nutrition. I am almost a year out now. I make sure to get all my protein in every day. Then it is at least a pound of raw, colorful veggies daily, then lots of cooked veggies in whatever dishes I make. Fruit is more of a dessert. I can now use cooked whole grains, seeds, and nuts. I am eating healthier than ever and feel absolutely great! I did have hair loss at 4-5 months, as nearly everyone does. It was in the summer, and I got a short cut which actually felt really great. No one ever could tell that my hair was thinner and it is coming back now.

I bought a cushion for hard chairs and long car rides. But the worst is riding a bike! Even with a good padded seat and padded riding shorts. HOWEVER........... after riding for 5 months now - up to 50 miles, the issue is getting better. It doesn't hurt to sit on hard chairs anymore, so I think scar tissue or calluses start to build up over time. I don't even think about it anymore when sitting on furniture. Time heals all wounds.

Wheat, barley, and rye are the gluten grains. I totally agree with eliminating them, along with sugar and dairy to see how you feel. Made a whole of difference for me. My inflammatory markers went way down.

Sorry, but I just can't let your comment go. Bariatric surgery involves huge physical changes, and for many women, it means substantial loss of in the boob department. The body changes are hard enough to cope with, and it doesn't help knowing there are men who value a woman by the size of her breasts. Your comment is insensitive to the successful female WLS patients on this forum.

The location says Ontario.

Danny, are you passing and stool or rectal gas now? what other surgeries or injuries have you had in the past? How does this pain compare to them? If this is the only surgery you've ever had, then this is the worst pain of your life. Understood. But compared to knee replacements, open abdominal surgeries, thoracic surgery, or severe fractures, laproscopic surgery is pretty mild. After 5 days, the surgical gas pain should be resolved. There will be incisional pain, especially when trying to get out of bed or doing twisting type movements. There will be deeper pain in specific spots with the same kind of movements. That is all normal. Your pain meds should be helping. As stated before, take the pain meds BEFORE the pain reaches a high point. Use a firm small pillow to brace your belly when you stand, cough, get out of bed or a chair, or even walk. And walk you must. Walk, walk, walk. Sip your fluids. That's all you have to do right now. Each day should be getting a little better by this point.

What does your doctor say - about smoking weed and eating honey? Honey was certainly not on my food list after surgery - nor was any kind of sugar or concentrated carb. My doc would not have done surgery if I had been smoking anything at all. So for me, the answer to your question is an emphatic "No." But it is your doctor's opinion that matters most - not anyone else's.

3 months psot op. Then I developed an ulcer at month 10, so I am back on it for 3 more months,

I eat spaghetti squash or zoodles (zucchini noodles) with no problem, but........ I was not allowed to eat veggies for 8 weeks post op. A "plate full" is now a very small plate - not the big giant plate with 2nd helpings that i used to eat. I made some lasagna this week with gluten free pasta, and although I CAN eat pasta, I prefer to use veggie substitutes most of the time. Pasta and other simple carbs (and any grain based carbs, for that matter) is not something you should be thinking about until you get closer to goal weight and need the extra calories to maintain your weight.

I am back to 16:8 If, just because I feel better on it. I eat two really good healthy meals and a bedtime snack of yogurt with homemade granola and some berries. I add some protein powder to the yogurt. On days when I know i am going to be working out a lot (tomorrow I have a 25 mile bike ride planned), I will eat a bowl of whole grain cooked cereal (steel cut oats, quinoa, teff, amaranth, millet, buckwheat) with 1/3 banana and milk. That gives me some really good calories to burn during the workout. I make sure to get my protein in and at LEAST a pound of raw veggies every day. I don't worry about the carbs or micro managing all the macros. Protein, veggies, and back fill with small amounts of nuts/seeds, and then some whole grains, and I'm golden!

I do not add it before heating, or it gets clumpy and bubbles up. I use a fork to mix it in after the soup is heated.

You must be feeling better physically and your clothes must be pretty loose, too. Any 50 pounds is enough for people to notice. Those are all Non Scale Victories!

Same happened to me. Stay the course!

How did you find him?

who is your surgeon in Tucson, just out of curiosity?

Gas pain can be extreme right after surgery. Are you trying to walk?

There is a lot of info online about CRP - look at the medical sites like Mayo Clinic and webmd. High CRP can have cardiac implications. I'm glad they are testing you for different autoimmune disorders. I was tested for everything under the sun and nothing came back positive, so the rheumatologist just wrote me off. When I stopped gluten, I was a different person in just 3 days. It was amazing, I went from needing a walker just to get around, to walking 2 miles - within 2 weeks! That was about 5 years ago. When I stopped all sugar a year ago (pre surgery), the inflammation dropped even more. Absolutely no NSAIDS needed and I was using Aleve twice a day, every day. Now that I am doing a whole foods plant based (WFPB) diet, I feel even better. I will have more inflammatory markers drawn in February and I expect them to be normal now. This is just my own story - not saying it has to be the same for anyone else, But dietary changes transformed my life as far as inflammation goes.

No, all my inflammation is gone since surgery. Sounds like you have some sort of autoimmune issue. Did they test your CRP?

I use the Bariatric Pal vitamins. I like them because it is only 1 capsule per day. I also take a B-12 in the morning. In the evening, I take my Calcium citrate capsule (found these at Sprouts) and vitamin D3. That's it. I used Premier protein shakes prior to surgery and they were fine. Then after surgery, they were too sweet. Then a while later they were fine. Then I went to a plant based shake called Orgain which is available at Costco.

The evidence is pretty compelling for adopting a whole food plant based (WFPB) lifestyle. Basically, there are 4 food groups: vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains. You can throw in some nuts and seeds as well. Nothing processed, no sugar. I already eat a very clean diet - no processed food, nothing artificial, no sugar, lots of veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes. But I think I am going to try to gradually move away from animal based foods. I have inflammatory issues, and I am hoping this will help reduce those blood markers that continue to be high. I also have seen the evidence for improved athletic performance after making the switch. There is better arterial flow and muscle performance with a plant based diet. So wish me luck. This will not be a sudden change. But I have actually been feeling a bit of upset tummy lately after eating fish, meat and eggs. I used to eat a lot of eggs (from my own backyard hens), but since surgery, they just do not sit well. Cheese and yogurt will be my challenges, I'll have to try some soy yogurt and see if it works for me. I already use pea protein for about half of my protein supplements. I will definitely keep up with my protein requirements and will always be taking my vitamins. Tonight we had a stew of 3 kinds of lentils, white beans, millet, sorghum, sweet potato, and garden snow peas on a bed of spiralized zucchini. Even my carnivore husband got a second helping. Yes, it seems like there are a lot of carbs, but I am at goal now and having a struggle not to lose more weight, so this seems like a good time to try this. Any thoughts?

I am completely plant based now, but I could not have done this at only 4 weeks out. There is too much volume in a WFPB diet, and too many concentrated calories, with whole grains, nuts, and seeds. I still cannot even start to eat the vegetable volume that many WFPB people eat. I would suggest that you start by moving to plant based protein drinks and powders. Use plant based "milk" and yogurt, but don't try to get all the veggies in right now. You really do need to focus on healing, getting your protein, liquids, and advancing your food list. Move to well cooked legumes and very well cooked veggies when you are allowed. My doc did not allow any veggies at all until 8 weeks. Of course, you can make protein smoothies that are easy to get down - and when allowed, add greens and berries. I am using a pea based "milk,", oat milk yogurt, soy tofu and tempeh. I stopped soy milk and soy yogurt, as it looked like I was getting an allergic reaction in my esophagus. I really do think it was all the whey protein I was using, so I made the total switch off whey protein and dairy products about a month ago, after my last endoscopy. I have much less bloating and gas now, so I think I had also developed a lactose intolerance. But I was relying too much on soy, so switched to alternate plant based milk and yogurt. I have a very strong gluten intolerance as well - have been gluten free for about 5 years. No big deal there, but taking away all dairy and animal products has been a big change. I am doing fine and feel good, but it has been a bit hard for the family. They want to cook, but don't know how. Going out to eat is very limited. I was at a wedding a couple of weeks ago and there was NOTHING I could eat except some limp salad. The GF items had dairy, and the vegetarian dish had wheat! I made the mistake of not being prepared with my own protein drink and snack. I am convinced that WFPB is a very healthy way to eat and I believe it will be a long term change for me, but there are definitely challenges. There are so many great resources, however, especially some of the cooking ideas on YouTube. My two favorite videos are "The Game Changers" and "Forks over Knives." The evidence is pretty compelling. I found a magazine with a ton of really good recipes, but you are still way too early to use this stuff. Be patient. It will come. I did not add whole grains, nuts, or seeds until I was at goal weight, and then it was to help me maintain my weight while I was starting to exercise pretty hard. Keep in touch, I look forward to following your journey. PS: I have an appt next month with a medical doctor who has switched himself personally to WFBP, to rid himself of his own medical problems. He now helps patients with the same. After I get my 1 year labs done, I have an appt to see him. Hopefully he can help me navigate the WFPB world in a healthy way that takes into account my WLS and also my exercise goals. I want to do it right, and I hope he will be able to supervise my progress.

Every day: at least 10,000 steps, 30 flights of stairs (increasing as I work toward a Grand Canyon hike), 150 wall pushups, leg exercises, upper body weights, and stretching. Every week: 40-50 miles of biking, 15-25 miles of hill hiking (increasing monthly), elliptical machine on days I cannot hike or bike due to weather or darkness. Will start back with swimming next month as I train toward a triathlon in March. I work full time as a nurse, and am on my feet all day, every day. I also have a large garden and livestock, so I am always digging or shoveling one thing or another.