KarmaNina

I had my Interstim (bladder pacemaker) removed yesterday. Most all of my weight was in my belly and breasts, by losing the weight my urgency is manageable. Not to mention the Interstim was becoming painful due to the weight loss when sitting down.

I would do the gastric bypass again, no doubt! I should have done it earlier. ☺️

42 minutes ago, Ms_RBell08 said:

My surgery is in two weeks and my nerves are getting the best of me. I have very low pain tolerance and I’m kinds on my own doing this. No family around and a B single mother but I’m like can I do this alone. I have someone to pick up and drop off but I’ll be in my own afterwards. Well I be okay

You will be just fine. If you need support, we are here to help. Feel free to contact me and I can talk you through anything.
This was the best thing I did for me!

sending light and love ❤️

On 8/18/2021 at 4:49 AM, ceecee.100 said:

Great idea… sprinkle vanilla Protein Shake in your tea!!!!!…. My Pre-op diet starts tomorrow!!!!!

I started doing Vanilla Protein Shakes in my coffee a while back. When I switched to tea because of an ulcer I gave it a try and it was amazing. My favorite teas to use are Yorkshire, Chai, Earl Grey. If you use the liquid shake, pour a bit in then put the lid back on and shake it until you cannot hear the liquid then pour it in and it is just like a tea vanilla latte!

30 minutes ago, Vanessa Kiro said:

Guys! I need words of encouragement please. My surgery is next week and my anxiety is off the charts. I’m doing great on the preop diet( my doctor said 2 weeks Protein Shakes and clear sugar free liquids only? I’m not really nervous about the surgery. I’m nervous about life after, gas pains, and not being able to keep food down. Anyone who is post op, please share your experience. Thank you

Good morning Vanessa,

I went though all of those same feelings about 1 year ago. At first it was a lot to think about, but take each day one at a time. You will get through this just fine.

1) stick to the diet the doctor and nutritionist give you and follow it to the letter. This is critical for the stomach to heal. And less side effects.

2) The nutritionist is there to help and guide you through the readjustment of your new eating habits. Don’t be shy to ask for guidance from the Bariatric team. They want you to succeed as much as you do.

3) Gas pains only hung around for a few weeks for me, but you may have a different experience.

4) Bear in mind that once you are able to eat solid and semi solid food, that one bite too many “may” cause pain but eating slowly helps immensely.

5) I find drinking tea with vanilla Protein Shake as the creamer/sweetener calms me and soothes my tummy when I feel hungry. I have been doing this since before my surgery. If you shake the Protein Drink a lot it makes it more like a latte.

6) WATER! H20 is your friend. I have Water at my side ALWAYS. Pretty much all I drink now is water, Protein Shakes and tea. Everything else is empty calories. Sugar is not your friend.

7) You have taken the huge first step of a great journey and you will be so happy you did this for yourself. So proud of you!

Oh my!

I lost more than half my hair which wasn’t thick pre Op. Surgery was July 2020. Hair started falling out in hand fulls in December. The Hair loss has all but stopped since the first part of April.

I have hair growing back because I have 1-3 inch baby hairs all over the top of my head and it sticks straight up! 😂 I should buy stock in hairspray, the only way to tame the crazy going on.

after speaking with my nutritionist, she said my labs indicated I was low on Iron, so I added a separate iron pill to my Vitamin and supplement daily routine. I have also added more Biotin as well as daily collagen to my routine. Added Viviscal to my routine as well.

So far, so good!

Thanks frens!

Not tripping or falling down because I can see the floor better. My belly was blocking the view of my feet. 😂

14 hours ago, 46w4kds said:

Sorry these are my before pics at 244lbs my highest weight was 277 and I now weigh 158lbs after 4 years.

Wow! Amazing results. Congratulations on the long term success. 👏🏼🎉🎉

@New Me, New Mind!
Wow! You look amazing!

I am sure you will agree it was a great decision to have weight loss surgery. It was time to put ME first after years of raising kids, work and taking care of hubby. Best me thing ever!

congratulations 🎉

Here to check in and report a huge milestone today. Not only is my BMI below 27, but I am into the 150’s !!!!

Best choice I have ever made.

if anyone is on the fence about surgery, based On my results and success, I would recommend gastric bypass. At over 9 months since surgery I had no idea I would be down to a size medium before summer.

yipee!

On 1/20/2021 at 9:29 AM, LAJ23 said:

Good morning all,

My last post (about a month ago) was about Hair loss, a major stall, and some female issues. A month later, and nothing has changed, except maybe getting worse. The female issues are *hopefully* being addressed at an appointment next week, though I'm not sure what will happen. I'm still stuck at 181 and have been for almost two months. At one point, I got down to 178 for a few days, but I suddenly shot back up to 184 and have been bouncing between 180-183 forever now. It's SO depressing! My hair is falling out at a rapid pace. I know this is a common side effect, but I wasn't prepared for it to be this bad. I literally now have small, nearly bald Patches and the texture of existing hair is like fine straw. 😞 Not only that, but it doesn't seem my hair is growing at all. I had it colored two weeks before Christmas, and no new growth is visible. My surgeon's staff keeps telling me I need to be better about getting my Protein in, and I need to stick to three meals and no Snacks meals. Well, that's difficult for me. Even a tiny meal takes me forever to eat...can't tell you the last time I finished a hot - or even warm - meal. And I feel like I get far less Protein in. I find I do better eating small Snacks throughout the day. Snacks include mini cucumbers, raw bell peppers, string cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, a couple of slices of low-sodium lunchmeat, tuna pouches, V8 juice, Builders Bars, beef Jerky, etc. I add Unjury powder (yuck!) to just about everything. I've also tried to make sure everything is SF and low sodium. When possible, I eat lots of chicken & fish, but I'm getting super tired of those things. I've come to realize I no longer enjoy food, whatsoever. I don't miss junk food (not that I ever really ate much of that anyway), but I miss going to a restaurant and ordering a meal to enjoy with my family. I take a couple of bites and am done - such a waste. My husband is a great cook, and I miss the meals he makes...I can't finish even the smallest filet, can only have a few bites of salmon, etc. I feel terrible when he cooks a beautiful, healthy meal and I can only have a few small bites. Anyway, sorry for the long post...just having a mini pity party for myself today.

At 6 months out since Gastric Bypass, I started my Hair loss at the start of December.
Currently taking just for hair loss-

collagen, Biotin, Iron.

After talking with my doctor last Tuesday, she told me my iron intake needed to be increased to 50mg up to 100mg per day.and to watch for Constipation.

We also spoke about meals, currently at about 65-85 grams of protein per day.

I add protein to practically every thing I eat. I use GENEPRO, it can be added to tea and coffee as well as hot and cold foods. It is flavorless and has helped tremendously keeping my protein Intake up. I buy mine on the Bariatric Pal Store.

I am due to get some labs this week so I am curious about my Vitamin and mineral numbers.

Also, I have been discouraged due to the hair loss and the slow down of weight loss. However the doctor told me it is very normal at this stage to slow down losing. That was incredibly reassuring☺️

TLDR;Key takeaways-

more protein, more Water and check your iron intake.

Good luck. ❤️

Oh my goodness! That is exciting!

Just got back from the pharmacy, I picked up an rx for Carafate for the stomach ulcer.
According to the instructions they must be taken 4 times a day on an empty stomach 1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after. 😳 Eating and taking these along with my other medications and supplements is going to be real interesting. Looks like I may need to make a pill reminder to get this done.

On 10/23/2020 at 8:36 AM, GreenTealael said:

Fantastic that it was caught early!

I am extremely grateful for that!

While at my 3 month appointment with surgeon we discussed the pain in my stomach and food texture intolerance. Doctor recommended a endoscopy, which I had done on Tuesday. Gastrojejunal anastomosis characterized by ulceration. So I have to be back on Prilosec (omeprazole).
Everything else was pretty good, except for Vitamin A levels being low, which I am ok with because it is an easy fix.

At least I know where the tummy pain is coming from. 😁

I too had a weight loss stall, it lasted about 10 days.
The nutritionist has me eating 5 “meals” a day. 1/4 to 1/3 cup. Must contain at least 15 grams Protein minimum per meal. If I am not eating meat, I add GENEPRO Protein Powder to my meal.
I could not survive only eating 3 times a day. This plan is working fine for me. I am just at the 3 month mark.

On 10/7/2020 at 6:43 AM, Loriey said:

Hi all,

I am 6 weeks post op and have lost 25 pounds. I find I have very low energy by mid morning and this lasts until around 4 pm. I am taking my Vitamins and Iron religiously, eating the right foods and making sure I have my required Protein. I think I may be losing too fast, considering I am a low BMI (33) when I started. I wanted to start back at the gym by week 6 but all I want to do right now is curl up in bed and sleep. Has anyone else gone through this?

This week I am 3 months since surgery and still have some days with low energy. I spoke with one of the nurse case managers this week, she called for a check in. I told her about it and she said it is exactly what everyone here said. The body is still healing and not a lot of food intake will take our bodies sometimes a while to adjust to. Some people take longer. I am fine with this as I am very pleased with the loss of weight.

I am 2 months out and have had this feeling since surgery. It is not as noticeable as it was at the beginning but I had the issue yesterday. It is the most noticeable when I add a new food. My stomach still prefers puréed and soft foods. I am taking it easy since I have had some vomiting, scrambled eggs don’t like me anymore.

I am sure that each person has different experiences but laying down after eating does help me.

@Mum23Boys

I have had food intolerances, eggs, Peanut Butter and wheat. It took me longer than I anticipated to get out of each food “stage”. I still prefer more puréed foods, I have tried some normal foods and they still don’t sit well and come up. I am just 2 months out so I prefer to take it slow and easy.

I add Protein to almost everything, in order to get in the required daily amount. Sometimes it is hard to do.

I sincerely believe the surgery is worth some loose skin and sagging. Those can be fixed if you choose, I probably will, eventually.

This was my decision and I did it for me. I wanted to feel better and be around for my grandchildren. I already have much more energy despite having other health issues.

Do it for you, you deserve it!

Just checking in fellow July 2020 surgery frens. My surgery was July 7, was supposed to be discharged yesterday, however I was not passing enough urine to satisfy the requirements to go home. They had to straight cath me 3 times yesterday. After the 3rd one, I was able to go an acceptable amount.
Night 2 was much more laid back. I was not poked or prodded every hour, only when I got up or every 4 hours.
They sent me home on the full liquid diet which is much better than the clear liquid. 👍🏼
I got home around 2ish and I am still so tired, so I took a nap and just woke up.
Time for those pain meds. Liquid acetaminophen and codeine as needed. Pain isn’t as bad as I had figured it would be. 🙏🏼

I hope all of those who had surgery have had a fairly easy go like me.

@jennyhenny0330 The pre op diet is really not bad...mind over matter.

It looks like you are not far behind me. I wish you luck for the rest of the

pre op and prayers to you for your surgery. 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼

Tomorrow is the day! RNY at noon.

Prayers and love to all of my fellow July 2020 Surgery guys and gals! 🙏🏼❤️

Let’s do this. 😎

My 2 week pre op diet has been going along pretty well. My doc has me doing 2 Protein Shakes and 1 small meal for dinner which has 3-6 oz lean Protein, small amount of starch, which I don’t always have. And vegetables. I have been having protein and a nice salad. The first week was great, lost 5 pounds in 6 days. And this week is a lot different. Not only have I not lost any weight, now I am constipated and my surgery is tomorrow.

Religiously drinking 64-80 oz of Water every day. Taking Miralax every day or every other this week. I broke down and took a stool softener last night. Still nothing. Started using a heating pad about an hour ago.

Today I am only liquids and surgery is noon tomorrow.

Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome. 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼

On 6/20/2020 at 9:53 PM, ge0rgette2 said:

Childbirth hahaha
Not even close!
I’ve had 5 covid tests. Three for surgery and 2 for thinking I was and one for routine at doc.

It’s not horrendous but It’s not fun at all. It’s more weird and discomfort. Takes 10 seconds if that.

I agree. I had a COVID test yesterday for my surgery tomorrow and it was not terribly bad. This test was using both nostrils. I had a prior test in May, before a procedure and it was one nostril and a bit more annoying but it doesn’t take long.

2 minutes ago, Nurse_Emily said:

The cancelled my surgery due to the recent spike in COVID cases 😫.. I'm crying... now I have to wait and see and GOD knows when they will reopen elective surgeries. Pray guys.. please pray this is all over soon

Prayers incoming for you Nurse_Emily 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼. I am hopeful it will be short lived and all of this wickedness will leave our world soon.
Be strong, know you are loved and God will protect us.
This is one of the things I am concerned about as well. My surgery is in a week and in Seattle. I pray daily for Everything to be ok.
Sending you ❤️