kc892020

Thank you, and good luck to you on your surgery!

Well, you are lucky, that's for sure. I think for me, because a lot of my friends were also morbidly obese, they felt like I "betraying" them or something. That being said, unfortunately, these relationships can't be salvaged. As far as dining out, it is almost impossible for me these days, as I developed A LOT of intolerances to sooooo many foods since the surgery. I can't keep down any meat, fish, fruit, breads/pastas/potatoes/non-skim dairy/sweets of any kind, nuts, and some even some vegetables. I've consulted my surgeon so many times about this in recent months, as there's foods I'm supposed to be able to tolerate by now that I just can't. He just said some people develop intolerances and left it at that. ? So, it isn't just a "I don't want to do something food-related," it's a "I can't do something food related." It's very frustrating, because it seems dining out is literally the only socialization people do around my home. Even during the pandemic! Thank you for the kind words. I wish you continued success.

Yes, absolutely. I had my roux en y done in January and the weight didn't start coming off until well into March. Everybody's system is different, and for those of us who are "slow losers" it's usually because it's taking our bodies longer to understand what just happened to it, how to process these new changes. Fret not though, it will come off and you will do great.

Yes it definitely scares people. Thank you for the kind words and recommendation. Unfortunately, my surgeon's office no longer offers a support group. They did but cancelled it with Covid and only made the online option available to pre-ops.

Thank you for the kind words. I wish you the best of luck too!

Thank you! Unfortunately, there aren't many options for non-food related activities, which stinks. But hopefully that will change at some point. Thank you again for the kind words!

One thing I was thankful for was that in my WL surgical center's WLS support group, there was such a great mix of both veterans and newbies. Our moderator for instance, was a veteran was was almost twenty years out, and kept her weight off! We had a lot of veterans that were more than a decade out and managed to keep their weight off, and I found that to be incredibly inspiring. I'm only eight (almost nine) months out, but the most important thing I've learned from veterans was to never fall back into old habits. We had a required reading assignment of "How to Self-Soother Without Food" and were given a ton of handouts about the different kinds of overeating. The most important thing I learned was understanding your root for overeating and triggers. For example, I overate as a way to cope with C-PTSD. Others overate to cope with loss (one lady for instance, started overeating after losing her daughter to childhood cancer), a bad breakup, etc. Then there were those who were just triggered by the smells of unhealthy foods, like anything fried, etc. The key thing is to understand your root(s) and triggers and sticking to those new lifestyle changes in order to prevent going to back to bad habits. Anyways, I'm probably just rambling and probably don't have a place to say anything yet since I'm still technically a new post-op. Good luck to you!

So, I feel funny writing about this, but...has anyone else ever experienced a negative change in their social life post-op? I had my surgery back in January. Although my physical health has made drastic improvements, I'm afraid my mental health has taken a toll. I noticed people have been treating me very differently since having the surgery. I've been getting so many rude comments, I can't keep up. They think I "took the easy way out (not realizing it was actually quite the opposite: the last resort)," and/or are freaked out by all my new eating habits and restrictions or are saying cruel things like "oh, you'll just gain it back like so-and-so did anyway, you watch." A lot of them have also proceeded to claim my changed appearance "weirds them out." Some of my now ex-friends have even gone so far to complain that I "betrayed the body positivity movement by giving into society's expectations of what women should look like." What the actual heck? Even dating, something I thought would get better as I lost weight, is just as bad as it was before. Since I can't drink alcohol anymore or eat a lot of foods, guys have been pretty hostile. Although I've been private about my surgery while dating (simply stating I have a strict diet I need to follow), that hasn't stopped guys from being mean or rude. Bottom line here is I've lost a lot of friends this past year and my love life is no better than it was. I'm extremely lonely and depressed. Has anyone else ever encountered this? What can I do to change it? Why is there so much social stigma towards this surgery?

Hi there! I had my surgery in January and when it came time for purees, the key things were bland and small. Make sure you're not consuming more than 3oz of food per meal, and make sure it's bland. Guac, tortilla soup, etc. are bound to make a lot of post-ops sick because of their spices and fat content. Even though avocados have good fats, it's still not ideal so soon post-op. Same with scrambled eggs. Make sure they're egg whites, because there's no fat in them. Down the road as your body heals and gets used to its new "system," you can resume these foods, but right now it's too soon. My dietician gave us all recipe books which I followed and found helpful. Did they do that for you? If so, I'd recommend following that. I wish you the best of luck! You've got this.

Thank you!

Hopefully!

Thank you! I appreciate your comment. It gave me hope. I always get nervous thinking about the possibility of weight regain.

So, I live with PTSD. Prior to my surgery, I was taking antidepressants. My doctor took me off them when I got my surgery. For the first couple months post-op, I was doing pretty well and didn't feel I needed them. However, recently, my PTSD symptoms have been getting in the way of me having a good life. I think I need to go back on them. But I'm scared! So many antidepressants cause weight gain. What do I do? Has anyone been able to take antidepressants and still keep their weight off? How about alternative treatments like CBD oil? Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

Congratulations on your success! I know two people who are eight years out and have kept the weight off beautifully! you've got this!

I had the RNY and yes, I did have complications. I experienced internal bleeding one month out. I was hospitalized for a week and had to take a bunch of meds for a few weeks after I was released. They almost had to transfuse me, but thankfully, I missed the cut-off by a hair. I also had to go back on a liquid diet for a few weeks, after just starting the pureed phase. My system still isn't 100% as I developed a lot of intolerance for many foods. But, I'm still happy I had it done. I'm almost down a hundred pounds and no longer have any of the comorbidities I had pre-surgery. Good luck with your decision making. This is a great community. Everyone here is very honest and helpful, so any further questions you have, just ask!

For me, it began with a trip to my general doctor. We had a long talk and he referred me to a bariatric surgeon in our area that took my insurance (make sure you check with your insurance that they cover it...every insurance is different with what they look for in order to be approved). The journey is long. Once you have that initial consult with the bariatric surgeon, you then have to decide what surgery you want to have, and then you have to meet with a nutritionist. The nutritionist will go over your pre-op diet plan (most people have to do this to a.) meet insurance requirements and b.) test your discipline to make sure you can follow a diet). Depending on your insurance requirements, you might also have to attend required WLS support group meetings (though I'm sure that's changed since the pandemic) and attend sessions with a counselor. Mine required me to see a counselor, attend support group meetings, and undergo a bunch of medical tests and blood work to make sure it was safe enough for me to get it done. All of this usually spans out through a six-month period. In addition to seeing a nutritionist, I also had to attend nutrition classes. My insurance required a lot from me in order to have it approved. Like I said, everyone's insurance is different. And every surgeon is different. I wish you the very best of luck. Please keep in mind, this journey isn't for everyone. It requires A LOT of discipline and lifestyle changes. You also have to understand there could be complications. I had complications, and it was scary. But, I'm still blessed that I was able to get it done. If you do everything right, it will work out.

I'm pretty confident that's what they describe as late dumping. I've heard of this happening from fellow veterans. I'd call your surgeon or nutritionist to double check. Coffee actually really bothered me until recently. I was told switching to low acid would help so I did and it no longer bothers me (thank God). But I also don't use any whip cream or creamer other than the Walden Farms calorie free one.

Hey everyone! I haven't been on here in forever and just wanted to say hello and ask how everyone was doing. How's everyone handling their journeys with everything going on? For me, the journey's been a challenge. I lost my job because of COVID and have had to take an assortment of temp jobs as result. This has made being able to afford supplements and protein powder difficult. But I'm still losing, and that's all that matters to me. I can't believe I'm almost down a hundred pounds since starting my journey (I started the pre-op diet last July)! Another challenge I've noticed is that there's SO MANY foods I can no longer tolerate. A part from the protein shakes, the only sources of protein I can keep down without getting sick are lightly seasoned or canned chicken and beans. Although on my allowed foods list, tuna almost killed me and I can forget red meat and pork. I bought the recommended lean cuts and still got sick. Most raw vegetables and fruits make me sick too. Ugh. It's frustrating! Maybe things will get better over time? Anyways, I hope this is finding everyone staying safe and well during these crazy times. ❤️ you all!

My period was regulated almost right away...only two weeks after surgery. It this was WITHOUT the aid of any of the meds I was on before. I was amazed. Last month, it came back the same time and I'm hoping this month it will do the same. My hair wasn't affected. I found that as long as I met my protein goals, hair will stay. Now the unwanted facial hair? Eh, that's another story. It's still there, BUT it's definitely not as course or as noticeable as it was before. I dermaplane (a fancy way of saying "female facial shaving") to take care of it, and no one ever knows I struggle with it. This week, I go in for my first hormone panel since having the surgery, so we'll see what it has to say.

Oh my gosh. That sounds just awful! I'm very happy you are doing well now. That is all so scary. I hope this was the last of the complications as well. They aren't messing around when they say this is a big decision. I think that's the most valuable lesson I learned. A lot of people were like, "oh it's so routine now, no one ever has any problems" before I got the surgery. But complications can still and do very much happen. And it's frustrating and scary when it happens to you because there's no way you can ever be prepared for that.

I spoke to the staff about it, and they claimed they were not aware and were "very surprised." They apologized profusely and said in the future, they would reserve that particular kind only for those who are six months or more out (since that's when they say we can have caffeine again). Hopefully, they remember to do that.

I always drank Folgers pre-op, I think I'll try it again. Hopefully, it agrees with me. Thank you!

Wow, I learned a lot here. Coffee to me is regular coffee with cream as well. Are there any brands you could recommend or is it just a matter of watching the caffeine?

Oh no! That's unfortunate. I really miss coffee...had no idea I was that addicted until after my surgery. I miss it but I'm afraid I won't be able to tolerate it.

That's interesting. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thanks!