ahillig

How many carbs do you eat? I hit a stall when I was avoiding carbs and decided to add a bit more in each day and I've been consistently losing 3-5lbs a week on average since then with no more stalls. I had the same problem when I tried losing weight before surgery too.

Nausea can be the first sign of a stricture, if you start vomiting up anything immediately after you ingest it you need to go to the ER. If you're not vomiting right away I'd call your surgeon in the morning and see what s/he says.

Hey all!

So far I’m down almost 69lbs from my consult weight! When I saw my surgeon for my 3 month post op I was down 52% of my excess weight and no longer considered morbidly obese!

I go for 6 month post op and labs in February, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if I was at or near goal. He also said I can start looking for a plastic surgeon for skin removal!

If you can find Shamrock Farms Protein Shakes by you I highly recommend them! I was in the same boat as you and these ones don't taste like Protein shakes at all!

I'm having problems with my birth control, I'm on an extended cycle pack due to horribly painful periods but have gotten my period 3 times with one lasting two weeks since I started this pack. My OBGYN said that I could need an increased dose but to finish this pack and call him back if things don't change and he'll change my pill. I did some research and found that most oral contraceptives are thought to be mostly absorbed in the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine that is bypassed in gastric bypass. This could explain the issues I've been having.

This article does a good job at explaining how different meds are absorbed post gastric bypass.

Mine was done with a robot! I don't think I had a catheter, I for sure only had one IV, and I have 5 incisions, one of which is super tiny, about 1/4". I did have a heparin injection before surgery and was on lovenox injections while in the hospital, did not go home on any blood thinners. I was in the hospital for 2 days and by a week post op I didn't even feel like I'd had surgery. My gallbladder was done with a standard laparoscopy three years ago and that took me a good 2-3 weeks to recover from and not feel like I had surgery. Robotic surgeries are associated with a faster recovery time, my MIL had a robotic hysterectomy and was hiking a week later.

I had the bypass done on August 28 and just had my 3 month post op visit. My surgeon is beyond thrilled with my results! I have lost over 50% of my excess weight to date and he said he wouldn't be surprised if I was near or at goal by 6 months. I also met with the nutritionist and she is perfectly happy with how things are going as well. I told her there are days I don't want to eat very much, if at all, and she said that's totally normal and fine but not to force myself to eat. She's ok that some meals I only get 1/4 cup of food and others I can eat a 1/2 cup. My goal is to be 199 by the new year, and if I keep losing at the rate I have been it's a very feasible goal! My surgeon also said that I could start looking for a plastic surgeon to get rid of the some excess belly skin because I'm already getting rashes and having pain from it, that won't happen until later next year though as summer 2020 is already filling up fast.

I also bought a new swimsuit for our cruise in June, in a MEDIUM! I tried on the medium top yesterday and while it was a little snug fingers crossed it should fit perfect by then! It was on clearance so even if it's too big by then it's not a huge loss of money. I also got bottoms in a medium!

An elevated D-Dimer can mean clotting somewhere in your body. If you have signs and symptoms of a blood clot somewhere then other testing is done to rule out a clot either DVT in an extremity or a PE in your lungs. D-dimers do not diagnose clots, they just indicate there COULD be clots. If everything came out fine then I wouldn't worry too much about it, just follow up as your doctor recommends. I recently had a patient with a D-Dimer of almost 10, the highest our ER doc has ever seen and this patient had no clots and their clotting times were all well within normal ranges.

I'm a paramedic and nurse and was back to work as a nurse on the floor a week after surgery, but I had plenty of people to help me move patients and such. As a paramedic, I went back after about 4 weeks. My surgeon was ok with me going back as a nurse but wanted at least a month off as a medic.

I drink orange juice on occasion, usually one of the simply orange individual servings. It's 100% juice and I get the one with added Calcium. It's not an everyday thing but maybe once or twice a month. I follow the sugar guidelines with everything else I eat/drink but I tend to view the sugars in fruits differently.

My guideline is anything that can be mashed with a fork. I can have meat, preferably shredded or ground, and no steak (which is ok, I never was a steak person). I will say, I had fajitas with some super soft chicken but that caused some wicked pain despite chewing it very well. I've been really enjoying chili as well, it's my go to if I'm caught out of the house for a long time without food. I was also told I can have triscuits, ritz chips, and wheat thins as well but I've been eating Quest Protein chips which are softer than the aforementioned items. I never really ate a lot of crunchy stuff before surgery so what I'm eating now is pretty much what I ate before surgery. I can also eat cold Cereal so long as it's softened with milk first.

I had mine out 3 years before my gastric bypass and that surgery was rough, I would even venture to say it was probably the worst surgery I had. I felt like crap for a solid two weeks after the surgery but one day felt totally fine. It was a rough surgery for me, my gastric bypass was easier. I experienced mild dumping after having it out and haven't had that yet with my wls. My surgeon kept me out of work for a full 6 weeks (I was working full time as a paramedic back then) but felt well enough to go back after 3. I was back to work after my gastric bypass after a week as a nurse.

11 hours ago, JRT Mom said:

That's great! There's nothing like a good roller coaster! And since roller coasters are great metaphors for life, it's fitting that you can now RIDE them when you've LIVED them for so long...😉

This is so true!

I had a HUGE NSV this weekend, I rode roller coasters without having to get off due to my size and without be smooshed into the restraints. I have worked at this park for several years and have only been able to ride a couple of the big coasters due to my size so I finally got to enjoy them for the first time since high school! Also, a fun perk of having gastric bypass, I don't get that stomach dropping feeling going down the big drops like before surgery! My daughter and I were running from coaster to coaster trying to get on as many as possible, I had so much fun!

I packed a couple pairs of underwear, shorts, shirts, and socks but ended up not wearing them at all until I went home. I had a toiletry kit with a hairbrush, Shampoo and conditioner, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, etc, but only really used the toothbrush and hairbrush. I also had my phone charger and a book but I only read the book when I was waiting to go back for surgery. I didn't watch TV and slept most of the time. I didn't really use my phone either.

I was discharged on a Friday afternoon so my husband was home with me Saturday and Sunday then had an Army obligation on Monday, I was totally fine. I just took it easy, walked around the block a few times and watched TV. It was way easier than I thought it was going to be. Then again, I recovered from this surgery VERY quickly so I might be the exception.

I didn't tell anyone at first because I didn't want to be judged or get some snide remarks but in reality, everyone has been so supportive. I'm an ER nurse and while my hospital doesn't do bariatric surgeries another one in town does so it's possible we could get a bariatric surgery patient. All of my coworkers are genuinely supportive and I have no problem with them asking questions.

My sister got married a month ago and the rest of the bridal party was curious when I had my husband bring me chipotle (bowl with chicken, pinto Beans, black beans, and cheese) after declining donuts and McDonalds. When I told them I had gastric bypass everyone was supportive and even asked questions about how I went about getting the surgery. One of the gals even said she was going to check her insurance to see if it was covered.

I was so scared at first because of other peoples reactions but this surgery gave me a whole other lease on life that I wouldn't trade for the world. Each day that passes I'm even more confident in my choice to have surgery and wish I would've done it sooner. It's been hard as hell, way harder than losing weight without surgery, but I wouldn't trade how I feel now for the world.

When I stalled I added in more carbs and the stall broke. Even when I'd lose weight before having surgery my body needed carbs, I couldn't go without them and expect to lose weight. I make a point to have carbs everyday now, in moderation of course, but I definitely need them to keep the scale going downward. Some days my carbs consist of Mac n cheese other days it might just half a piece of toast. My local grocery store sells some single serve Mac n cheese that's about 1/3 cup serving size, 6g Protein, <10g sugar (not sure off the top of my head), and under 200 calories. I one of those 2-3 times a week and ever since I've done that I've lost each week. I'm lucky to eat about 1/2 of that when I eat one, then again, I'm lucky to eat 1/3 cup at a meal, most meals it's still 1/4 cup.

I have BCBS Federal as well and got several pre-approval letters, did you save those? My initial letter was an approval for the sleeve on a date a month out from the approval date, then it was for the bypass because I have severe GERD on the date I chose for surgery, then yet another one for the bypass on the surgery date with the 2 days I stayed in the hospital. I saved all of them for this reason alone.

If I were you, I'd call your surgeon and let them know because if they had to submit all of that info for the pre-approval then they should still have it and it shouldn't be an issue. I had problems with insurance covering protonix and my surgeon was all over them to get it approved.

I'm currently fighting with the hospital and insurance because the insurance company has had to fix my copay twice for the hospital stay because the hospital has decided to add another line item to the original bill. It's a mess but I think I have it figured out, finally.

My surgeon doesn't restrict coffee and is one of the few that doesn't. I'll be honest, if it weren't for coffee there would be some days I don't get my Fluid intake in. Also, I'm a nurse that works night shift right now so I absolutely need coffee. I will say that I can get a medium iced coffee from dunkin and it'll last me all day, and I can't do Starbucks coffee anymore, sits like lead in my pouch. Yes, caffeine is a diuretic and could potentially dehydrate you but so long as you're on top of your Water otherwise you'll be fine.

I don't think a 12 year old should be having this surgery. Especially since at that age the parents are responsible for buying and preparing food. My obesity problems started when I was in high school and as upperclassmen we had the option of off campus lunch which I fully took advantage of and went out for fast food 5 days a week. From there bad eating habits spiraled. Now after having surgery my tastes have totally changed. Food is way more flavorful and sugary items are way too sweet for me.

Our brains don't stop growing until our early 20s so the ability for a 12 year old to fully comprehend this surgery would take some serious therapy IMO. I'm 35 and just had this surgery and I'm constantly reminding myself that I can't eat the way I used to when I actually do eat. I have to force myself to eat everyday because I'm not hungry, ever.

9 hours ago, Camp49 said:

I am four weeks post op and really having a hard time. Can eat, can't eat. Can drink some days, some days I can't. I've started to vomit this week with foods that are okay for my stage but I will also vomit what I drink. My incisions hurt sometimes and sometimes they don't. Bending over picking things up bothers me but I have to ignore the pain and keep moving. The foods that I should not be eating don't make me vomit. Peanut Butter crackers or Pasta stays down crystal light fruit punch causes me to vomit. Crystal light tea is okay as well as hot cocoa. I'm tired and stressed from trying to eat right and it is coming back up. Dr. tells me to go back to liquid diet but I'm hungry.

I'm 8 weeks out and now that I'm on soft foods it's a real challenge to figure out things that work for me. Crumbled sausage is ok but patty sausage is horrible. Same with ground beef, a hamburger patty cut up into tiny pieces was torturous but ground beef in chili is fine. I can also tolerate carbs pretty well but avoided them because I was made to think they were the devil. The only thing that helped me break a stall was adding some carbs, now that I regularly incorporate carbs my belly isn't as temperamental and I haven't had another stall. I also doubt you're physically hungry, it's probably head hunger at your stage, I still don't get hungry but my head tells me I am.

I'm seriously waiting for this to happen! I have such thick hair that I'm actually wanting a reprieve from it for a little bit. I haven't been on point with my Vitamins this week but have been pretty good about it over all so maybe that's it. Or maybe I just can't get rid of it because I didn't shed after having babies either. Also, I've never washed my hair everyday, twice a week, maybe three times tops so I'm sure that helps. I haven't been kind to my hair either, I had a balayage this summer and just bleached in some more highlights.

I was higher than normal while in the hospital, and I'm sure the first week or so post-op. In the hospital I was in the mid 90s to low 100s and my resting heart rate was in the 70s before surgery, now 2 mos out I'm in the 50s. Your body has just undergone major trauma and one of the way it compensates is by increasing your heart rate to get blood components to the surgical area to promote healing. Inflammation is a normal part of the healing process and inflammation can increase your heart rate. It should only be for a short period of time but your body will adjust as needed. Other sources of high heart rate can include infection, dehydration, and stress in general.

Hey everyone!

I'm 6 weeks out and feeling out food situations. I've definitely found somethings that do not agree with me and I've found some things that I can eat that I'd never thought I'd be able to eat again so I'm happy about that. Last week I was up 1.2 lbs but it was a really rough week transitioning to soft foods and figuring out what I can eat in addition to a wedding that I poorly prepared for food wise. This week though I'm down 5.2 lbs so things are back on track. I still cannot choke down anymore Protein Shakes so I'm conscious to get in a lot of Protein with food.

I also ordered a treadmill for my house because living in northern Illinois our winters suck and it'll be nice when I don't want to go to the gym just to walk because I didn't do cold before surgery and now after surgery I'm always cold so I'm definitely not going outside unless I absolutely have to.