AZhiker

Oh my goodness! Beyond happy! My joints don't hurt, my sleep apnea is almost gone, I can hike for hours, I can get down on the floor with my grandkids and actually get up again! My thighs don't rub together.My blood pressure is normal. I took a bath in our big tub this week and could actually get out by myself! I had to tarp a load of hay this week all by myself. It was going to rain and the tarp had to get on. I had to climb along the sides of the trailer to drag the tarp over the top of the hay and I did it! I could not have done that 6 months ago. I can squeeze through tight spots at work and reach over beds for equipment... and no one has to move aside for me. I went from 2-3X scrubs to MEDIUM! I don't have heartburn or asthma flares anymore. I have tons more energy and am less depressed. I am comfortable at 80 degrees instead of insisting that that ac be turned to 68. I have not gotten yeast infections in the skin folds this summer because most of the skin fold are GONE! I can stand up in church without my belly hitting the chair in front of me. I can ride my mule again! I can kayak without swamping the boat. Someone referred to me as "skinny" this week! Do you still want me to go on? My life is soooooo much better for having had this surgery. Giving up large quantities of food is nothing compared to the quality of life I have now. I have more confidence, and far less shame. I can hardly wait to get my 6 month labs back to see the difference in my A1C, cholesterol, triglycerides. PS - So sorry. I jumped the gun. I see your question was actually to DS patients. I had bypass and would also like to hear how DS patients feel about their surgeries.

I think you are absolutely right, FluffyChix. We all need some variety, but getting the biggest nutritional bang has got to be a really high priority, as well as tolerating the choices. We have to learn to embrace the nutrition more than the taste. I like my soups, for sure, because I can tolerate them, they are nutritious, and to me, they taste good, even when I doctor them with protein powder. (But no one else in the family is a big fan, because they are very basic and just not very glitzy as far a soups go.) I still have pretty limited choices in what I eat now - but they are densely nutritious and mildly boring. BORING is not bad - boring forces one to limit volume. One may love oatmeal, but if you ate oatmeal 3 times a day, you would not overeat it because it would be BORING. I really like your statement about spending as little time as possible in the relationship with food. I admit that I have started to think about food way too much lately and have started snacking some. Thank you for the reminder about reframing the relationship. I need to practice the value of other activities more than eating when I get bored or emotional. I understand the need of the original poster regarding palatability, however. In the early stages, it can be so hard to find ANYTHING that tastes good and stays down well. But that being said, our preferences can and will change over time and will become healthier the more we seek out healthy, non-processed, non artificial choices.

Whatever you get, ask for liquid form.

Delicious soups, especially bean and split pea. I found some real tasty lentil soup, as well. A spin in the blender and it is pureed. Soups are just so good - I still eat at lot of soup - it just goes down so well.

Getting your fluids is the biggest priority. Then protein. I boost mine up by adding unflavored protein powder to Greek yoghurt and soups. Once you start the soft/pureed stage, you should be able to add it and not even notice it, but go slowly so you don't get nausea. As far as hair loss, I believe it is related to the absolute starvation stage you are in now. Even those of us who got all our protein from the get go have hair loss. The hair follicles just shut down. Once the new hair starts growing, it pushes the old dead hair out. That's why the hair loss starts around 3-4 months - because by they you are getting enough nutrition to actually start growing hair again. When it happens, just think, "Out with the old, in with the new!" Did you doctor give you a prescription for Zofran to help with nausea? Zofran won't stop nausea once it starts, but can prevent it is you take it 20 min BEFORE you try to eat.

The guidelines for post op foods without artificial sweeteners? Just don't use them. That stuff is poison, in my way of thinking.

My thyroid has always been fine, but who knows what can happen after WLS, right? I get labs drawn in a couple of weeks, so it will be interesting to see if thyroid was affected. I have so much more energy now, that I can't imagine being hypothyroid.

I am having the expected hair loss (in spite of the Biotin) and I can live with that. But...…. my eyebrows are nearly gone, especially on the outside edges. Anyone else experience eyebrow loss along with the hair loss?

Hang in there! I think the pre-op time was especially challenging, because you still have your appetite and your stomach is still full sized. But...…. this part will be over soon and by being strong now, you will more confidence to be strong later. Post op is not real pleasant...….but you have no appetite!

What kind of reaction are you having? I don't use any artificial sweeteners at all. I drink water or herbal tea. I use a very good quality whey isolate protein powder (BioChem) that is soy free, 99% lactose free, gluten free, and has no added sugars or artificial sweeteners/flavors. I get it at sprouts and add it to my smoothies, yoghurt, soups, beans, just about anything. Getting rid of the sweet tooth is a real help with avoiding temptations later. For me, a piece of fruit tastes so sweet it is amazing - I almost feel guilty!

I was doing IF before surgery and just haven't felt I could get all my food in if I restarted it too soon post op. Now, however, (5 months out) it is working well for me. It's really hard on work days because when I get hungry (about 11 am) I can get shaky and mentally foggy real fast. I can't stop to eat. So I have been taking a Premier Protein shake and putting it at my work station. Around 11 am I drink 1/3 to 1/2 of it and that gets me through to lunch just fine. It has so little carbs that I don't think it elevates insulin levels very much at all. Then I eat my lunch and eat dinner when I get home. If the day goes long and I start getting hungry, I drink the rest of the shake. That gets me home in good shape and I am not so ravenous that I am grabbing everything in sight. So I am basically doing a 17/7 plan. My weight loss started slowing down significantly since I am getting closer to goal (!!!!!!!!!!!!), and I think the IF has prevented a stall and has kept the weight loss going.

This is where you have to practice some real commitment to your long term goals. Develop some mantras that are really meaningful to you and they will help pull you through temptations. There will be temptations for the rest of your life! My three little sayings that help me keep my resolve are: I'M NEVER GOING BACK! (I am determined to do whatever it takes to keep from being obese again! If that means walking every day or resisting pizza, I will do it.) I WILL HAVE THIS AGAIN - JUST NOT NOW. (You will get pizza again - just not now. I had my first piece last week, and honestly, it didn't taste as good as I remembered! I've made 2 full Mexican meals for family events, and made 4 birthday cakes during this time, and this little saying got me through them all.) Delayed gratification is a really important skill to develop.) IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT. (That taste of ice cream or bite of dessert is just not worth it. It will create more cravings, lead to further temptations and slips, and will just mess up my head for my lifelong goal of health. It will jack up my insulin level which leads to more fat storage instead of fat burning. The taste lasts 10 seconds tops, but the results can be lifetime. Our health IS worth it - more than that silly bite.) Hope this helps. Having determined resolve is one of the chief markers of WLS success, according to some research. We have got to get honest and recognize the games we have been playing with food. It is hard, no doubt about it. If your coping skill for stress was eating, then you have to find new coping skills. The little sayings are one of mine. Exercise is the other. Whatever works for you, but you have to develop strategies that will get you through the temptations for the rest of your life. Preop is the best place to start practicing. I also found it very helpful to use the preop time to get rid of caffeine, soda and sugar. It's MUCH easier to get through the withdrawal prior to surgery. Surgery is hard enough by itself.

I am sooooo glad I told no one except my husband, 2 adult kids, my brother and a nurse I needed to change work days with, and she was sworn to confidentiality. I didn't even tell my own parents. I needed a small group that I knew would be supportive and not judgmental - people who have seen my struggle over the years and would stand beside me in this surgery. What I am really getting tired of is people continually coming up to me and asking what I did to lose the weight. Why is MY weight loss their business????? I tell them that I have made some major lifestyle changes in diet and exercise, which is perfectly true. If they ask for specifics, I tell them, "No wheat, no sugar, no caffeine, no soda (diet or regular), no juice, no alcohol, no processed food, no artificial colors/sweetners/flavors, intermittant fasting, and a lot more exercise." Their eyes glaze over either with the sugar or the alcohol. NOT A SINGLE PERSON HAS ASKED ANY FURTHER - THEY WALK OFF. EVERYONE WANTS A MAGIC PILL. If there was an obese person who was sincerely looking for answers and was willing to start making serious lifestyle changes, I might consider offering WLS as a suggestion to investigate. But I have not seen that person yet. It makes me realize that we here are a very small group of brave, courageous individuals who truly are willing to put it all down, make the sacrifices, and do the hard work for lifelong changes and health. We are few, I believe, when considering the general population.

Is it bright red blood? Your stools are probably pretty hard if you are going only every 4 days. The hardness and straining may have popped a hemorrhoid, which can really bleed a lot. Hemorrhoid blood is red, because it is close to the outside opening. Dark or black colored blood would be a very worrisome sign because it means it is further up - maybe damage to the surgical site. At any rate, you need to get it checked out.

I remember my disconnected stomach rumbling and squirting. Has settled down now.

Honestly! Who on earth would have this surgery and not at least take a peek at YouTube to see others' experiences and then run into all of Dr. Matthew Weiner's excellent seminars. I spent hours on YouTube before my surgery to get the good, bad and ugly. I still go back to Dr. Weiner for inspiration. I don't agree with 100%, but his information is pretty darn solid, and has options ("Pound of Cure" program) for those who elect NOT to have surgery. Only a fool would have a major, elective surgery without educating themselves first. Furthermore, every surgeon is required to discuss risks/benefits with the patient when they get the INFORMED consent signature for the procedure.

Just keep your water with you! Continual tiny sips. Since you were already on a good exercise program, this should be a breeze for you! Way to go! So good to have some lifestyle changes already in place before surgery! That being said, don't push yourself! Listen to your body. If it is hurting or you are really tired, please stop. This is all about healing. Even though I was walking right away, I still developed a blood clot in my leg. Go figure, huh? But I got on the Xarelto and kept on walking. You can't control how your body reacts with nausea, pain, or even a blood clot, but exercise is definitely something YOU control and track. I found it to be very empowering and motivating. Maybe I am just lucky, but 5 months out and I have never stalled. Weight loss has slowed, but is still consistant, and I would like to think the exercise has a lot to do with that. Best wishes for your surgery!!!!! Please keep us posted.

I started walking the day of surgery and kept increasing steps until I got to 10,000/day, which is what my surgeon recommended. I was up to 10,000 by the end of week one, according to my record I keep. Best thing ever - to get right into the exercise. I also added wall pushups a little later. Then stairs - 10 flights/day by end of week 3. Then added some light weights for upper body.

I Losing weight is not the real issue - we have all gotten real good at that. I bet I've lost well over 1,000 pounds......BUT...... like you said - it all comes back. This yo-yo stuff over the years will completely mess up your metabolism and the neuro/communication links between your stomach and brain. i believe the damage becomes irreversible at some point and WLS becomes the only option left. I also believed I should give it yet another chance "on my own" until my PCP talked some sense into me, "If you could have done it on your own, you would have by now." She was so right. WLS is certainly not easy and the weight loss will not be maintained without a complete lifestyle/eating makeover, but WLS gives us a tool and buys us time to get the changes in place so we can finally be successful at this. I've read so many articles about the physiology of obesity, and it is complex issue with genetic, hormonal, environmental, childhood trauma, and even gut biome components. Losing weight is only one part of the equation - the smallest one, I think. The body puts all its resources together to regain, which has little to do with will power. It is a physiological response to set points that get lower and lower the more times we diet and put ourselves into caloric deficits. A really good book on the topic is "The Obesity Code" by Jason Fung. I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to have WLS (which hijacks the weigh gain roller coaster) and finally get my body and life back into a healthy balance.

Great book! A new door opening and a new life on the other side! Best wishes!

You look so young! You are experiencing the down side of surgery right now. But what you don't realize is that you are avoiding the downside of a life of obesity 30-40 more years down the road. Once you can't walk because of early arthritis brought on by decades of obesity, and you develop sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes, fatty liver, and asthma, and start having joint replacements at an early age, you will wish (like many of us older folks) that you had done it much sooner. If I could have avoided 50 years of obesity and all the related health issues, I would certainly have done so. I am so sorry I waited until my life was literally slipping away from me. I regret all the lost years and all the things I would have loved to have done if only I had been thinner and without the pain of arthritis. You are going to have a full, active life, able to do anything you want! That is a wonderful gift to give yourself! PS: Add in the polycystic ovary disease, infertility problems, and for me, an early hysterectomy due to endometrial hyperplasia secondary to obesity!

I can definitely tell you that the hunger hormones are greatly if not totally reduced in bypass.

Do this for you. He needs to support you, but to be honest, a lot of family members will never "get it." My husband watched the videos and I explained a lot. He even went to a support group with me. And then..... forgot everything. All he knows is that I had surgery and he supports me. ..... and he cannot bring tortilla chips into the house. That's it. That's why a forum like this is so valuable. We have all been through it and are the best support for each other. It might be unrealistic to expect him to understand this on the same level as you.

Normal reactions. Thin out the liquids and swallow even tinier sips. I could only swallow a teaspoon of water at a time at that point. If it hurts, you are advancing too quickly, no matter what the post-op "plan" says. Healing of all those tissues takes months.

One of my beloved mules is very sick and it doesn't look like she will pull through. We have been through so much together and she is pretty close to an equine soul mate. We are doing more tests on Monday. Anyway, in a fit of sadness, I ate a hunk of cheese, 2 spoons of peanut butter and a rice cake. Basically I downed 500 calories of emotional eating that made me nauseous and queasy, so it didn't even help! Made me feel worse. I guess it was a good thing, because it showed me that emotional eating is just not the answer any more. In the past, it would give a few minutes of reprieve, but I didn't even get that today, so no more. I think I will take a walk when it cools down a bit. I gave Tess a cool bath this afternoon, and brushed her. She loved it and it made me feel better to make her feel a little better, but then so sad to see her so sick. For anyone curious, her bone marrow is completely suppressed. (Anemia, extremely low platelets, weight loss, depression, edema, fever, enlarged lymph nodes.) The differential diagnosis is 1) over whelming infection (she is on 2 antibiotics now, but not responding), 2) cancer, or 3) equine infectious anemia (like horse AIDS. No cure, and animal must be euthanized. We are testing for this on Monday, If positive, my son's mule is also at risk.) Thoughts and prayers greatly appreciated.