NovaLuna

I take 1 Bariatric Complete multivitamin and 2 Celebrate multivitamins (without iron for the Celebrate) a day. And 2 Calcium Citrate from Bariatric Advantage (my calcium was high last test so I cut back to 2, I was taking 3). The Celebrate multi's are the easiest on my stomach.

I had my first surgery when I was 24 and I was scared out of my mind! But, honestly, your image of it is a lot worse than it actually is (or at least that was true in my case lol). They take you into the operating room and the anesthesiologist talks to you bit and may ask you a few questions and then... you wake up in recovery. I'm 32 right now and have had surgery 3 times (gallbladder removed, brain surgery, weight loss surgery. In that order lol). I was only scared the first time because it's the unknown that terrifies. And yeah, you'll be in pain when you wake up, it's typical of any surgery. But, you tell the doctor and they'll give you some lovely pain meds and you should pretty much be fine after that. Just make sure you walk, walk, walk, because you want to get that gas out of you and that's the only way to do that. Yes, it'll suck and you'll be sore and won't want to do it, but you actually feel a lot better when you push yourself a little bit. Not too much, just a little. If you're have the sleeve surgery (or DS or Loop DS) then your incision site where they removed your stomach is going to hurt the most. I had to have my mom help me in the shower because if I moved a certain way it hurt so bad I'd start crying. Also, getting up hurt. And sometimes sitting down. However, I also didn't take my pain meds so I'm not really a point of reference lol. I have a high pain tolerance due to my TN and I hate how pain meds make me feel so if I feel like I can withstand the pain I do and won't take the meds (I had a 30 pill prescription. I took maybe 8 or 9 pills of that and still have the majority of the prescription left over somewhere...). So yeah, it's nowhere near as bad as your mind is making it seem. Just focus on how you're going to feel a year from now when you've lost a ton of weight and are a healthier you! I wish you the best!

You're likely stuck in the third week stall. It's normal and it will blow over. Not everyone gets the third week stall (I didn't) but stalls happen frequently and as annoying as they are it's just your body adjusting. They usually last a week or two. I've had three so far and I'm 5 months out.

I think it's the reduced carbs, but the reduced calorie intake may also have something to do with it. I was warned by my surgeon that typically my surgery is done in two parts because people don't tend to have their liver shrink enough, but I did a low carb pre-diet during my 6 month monitored weigh loss and the surgeon told my mom that my liver looked great and so they were able to do both parts of my surgery without issue.

Good luck with that. After surgery you may not be able to digest that. I can't have xanthan gum it messes with my stomach and... well, it's TMI, but it gives me gas and diarrhea. Before surgery I had no issue. Now I avoid it like the plague! They're post op so they may want to approach it with caution...

When I got to soft foods stage I started eating cauliflower pizza. It's a good substitute that follows your diet when you have a pizza craving. I can only eat one piece before I'm full, even now, but it's delicious and beats the cravings. Also, when you get into general food stage you can always get the veggie made Birds Eye pasta which is made with zucchini and lentils. I like the Rotini Marinara. I add a small handful of shredded cheese, a little parm, and some salt and pepper then split it into three servings. It helps with the pasta cravings and taste like spaghetti minus the meat lol. That's my suggestion. Just try to find substitutes that fit within your diet. That's what I do. I know it's hard, but trust me, it's worth it! You had the surgery to lose that weight, so you just have to do what you can to fight those cravings!

I get nausea on occasion, but have yet to actually throw up. Most of the time it's after I eat something that simply doesn't agree with me. The worst was after my nutritionist gave me the green light to add low carb bread back into my diet and I had a low carb wheat bread in which I decided I will NEVER eat wheat bread EVER AGAIN! I had brain surgery in 2017 and the nausea I had after that was the worst I'd ever experienced in my life UNTIL I ate the damn wheat bread! I was told you don't get dumping syndrome after having the DS or DS Loop but 15 minutes after I ate my stomach started to hurt sooooo bad and the nausea was HORRENDOUS! I was sweating and shaking and it was horrible! I took TWO anti-nausea meds and I STILL felt sick! So the sick feeling could be either something you added recently into your diet or from hunger (I get nauseous if I go too long without eating) or if you're female maybe pregnancy? (hopefully not though 'cause that's risky as hell 5 months out)

They briefly took me off of my blood pressure meds for like two months. But my blood pressure shot right back up and I'm back on them again. They say a sleeved stomach CAN cause your blood pressure to lower, but it doesn't for everyone... my surgery involves a sleeved stomach btw. I never had arthritis issues so I can't help you with that, but I DO have back issues due to a permanent injury to my back and a suspected slipped disc (that I haven't been able to get an MRI of because my insurance requires physical therapy that I can't do because it inflames my permanent injury... -_-") and I've had less issues with the suspected slipped disc with my weight loss, but it hasn't helped with my permanent injury (no surprise though on that front). I never had diabetes, but I've had issues with hypoglycemic 'incidents' since I was a teen. I have to make sure I eat at LEAST six times a day and not skip meals and have a carb minimum of 15 carbs per meal or snack because of the hypoglycemic issues I've had in the past. But, I FEEL better. And it's perfectly normal to be nervous about your upcoming surgery. I was somewhat nervous about it as well. Not the surgery itself, but how I'd feel when I woke up. Honestly though, compared to another surgery I had this was a walk in the park! At my heaviest I was 389 pounds. I'm 248 now. At my heaviest I wore a 6xl top and 32 pants and now I wear an xl or a 1xl and a size 18-20 pants (depending on brand). I still have a ways to go, but I'm incredibly happy that I had my surgery and I'm sure you'll feel the same. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

To be honest, I don't remember exactly. I did my Psyche eval a year ago (it was last June). But from what I remember I think they ask you tons of things from your relationship with food to mental health to family to work, etc. I was very honest. I was dealing with depression and anxiety at the time because of my TN coming back and funny enough most of the appointment was spent talking about how I was dealing with it and what I was going to do if it got back to what it had been like at it's worst, right before I had my brain surgery. I, honestly, didn't think she would pass me, but she did. I only had to see her the once, but she did advise me that if I felt like I was struggling with anything be it diet, family, work, or my health that I should make another appointment with her. I haven't needed to. The evaluation is in part to see if you are mentally able to handle the change, not just to your diet, but how it's going to change your life. Because the surgery changes your relationship with food, how you look at yourself, and with those around you. It may be small changes, or large ones, but the changes are there none the less. I think they also want to know what you're expecting of the surgery and if those expectations are going to crash and burn because you expect too much. There are people out there who have the surgery because they don't like themselves and expect that they'll like themselves if they lose weight. It doesn't work like that though. If you don't like yourself then losing weight, honestly isn't going to change that. I liked who I was as I person, but hated that I may not have been around to watch my nieces grow up because I was almost 400 pounds. My motivation was that I wanted to watch them grow up. That was what finally pushed me into having the surgery when I'd been making up excuses for years as to why I COULDN'T. I wish you the best of luck on your psyche eval. It's normal to be nervous so try not to stress to much!

I've lost count of how many EGD's I've had done (probably close to 10 now) because I have EOS (eosinophilic esophagitis) so I usually get 1-3 of those a year (I'm overdue for my next one and, oh joy, I will have to get my throat stretched the next time I have one -_-"). The EGD's don't hurt. They give you something to put you out and the next thing you know, you're waking up in recovery and 10 minutes later they let you go home. You'll probably be a little dizzy from the meds they used to put you under so my advice is don't watch your feet lol. Also, depending on the meds, you might be nauseous afterward as well...

I never had the three week stall. Instead I had a three MONTH stall where when I hit the third month after my surgery I didn't lose any weight for almost three weeks. Then I lost two pounds and stalled for another week and a half. Then lost five pounds. I've had two other stalls that lasted a week and two respectively. It's soooooo irritating, but I was told it's just your body processing the huge changes rapid weight loss causes. If you're anything like me, there will be weeks when the stalls will annoy you so much you'll be tempted to throw your scale lol. Just try not to stress about it too much.

I got my period 2 days after surgery... I was still in the hospital that the time. And I noticed the cramping is worse since my surgery and they were never pleasant to begin with. Also, yes there have been some oddities with my cycle post op and my stomach is more sensitive around that time, so I'm more careful with what foods I eat when that time of the month hits. As an example: I have to avoid salads and nuts around that time. My stomach protests me eating either around that time. Oh, and as a note: my surgery involves a sleeved stomach.

I only take mine with food like half the time... since I have to take 3 multi's and 3 calcium a day it doesn't always fall on when I'm eating. Maybe try it without food?

Funny enough I'm almost five months out and I STILL can't have anything potato... my nutrition guideline doesn't allow it until at LEAST my sixth month. So I still got at least a month and a week before I could eat mashed potatoes lol

Yep. My diet was 1 week liquid, 1 week puree, 2 week soft food, then general diet (but minus starchy food, processed foods, berries, beans, lettuce, and nuts. I can have berries, lettuce, and nuts now, and beans in SMALL quantities).

My surgery involves a sleeved stomach and yes, it's very common to second guess yourself. I struggled with my fluid intake and they kept me in the hospital for three days because I was struggling with getting down even 8oz of water a DAY! Eventually it got easier and I'm almost 5 months post op and get between 48oz (on a bad day) up to 80+oz. I usually average around 60oz though. He should start feeling better around week 2 or 3 and once he starts seeing the results I believe he'll be happy about his choice then. Sorry he's having a hard time and I hope he has a speedy recovery!

Oh I remember that. I absolutely HATED the liquid stage and was soooo happy to hit pureed stage in week 2! I LIVED off the Ricotta Bake! Though blended tuna and avocado was good too! And soft food stage in week 3 was fantastic! I had a slice of cauliflower pizza on my first day of soft foods lol. Those five days will pass before you know it!

Jello was right away. Cottage cheese was allowed in the second week for my diet plan...

Like a lot of people have mentioned, it mostly sounds like your gallbladder... Did the surgeon remove it, or did you keep it, because if they left it in, that's likely your issue. When my gallbladder went bad I had massive acid issues and was popping acid reducers almost like candy it felt like. I was getting sick with almost everything I ate and couldn't keep anything but liquid down and even then sometime I threw that up. I have tachycardia so I honestly don't know if it was made worse or not so I can't really help you on that. And, my stomach HURT so bad after I would eat it was insanely painful! It took them MONTHS to figure out it was my gallbladder because they kept thinking I had an ulcer. Anyway, I would still call your bariatric surgeon or another bariatric doctor and ask for their advice. Just to be safe.

I had to do a six month monitored weight loss for my insurance and even though I actually didn't have to diet I chose to start early to prepare myself. The first month I cut my portion sizes and stopped eating seconds. The second month I cut out soda. Third month I cut out rice. Fourth I cut out pasta. Fifth I cut out bread, potatoes, bean, etc. And sixth, seventh, and eighth month I just maintained that diet (they were scheduled out so it took them two extra months to schedule my surgery). I lost 64 pounds before my surgery. It's been almost five months since my surgery and I've lost an additional 70 pounds in that time. Bad habits are hard to break so trying to break those habits early on will only help you. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

I chew my pill rather than crush them lol. But, I have EOS so that's why I still have to. After I have my throat stretched again I'll be able to swallow them like a normal person. They told me a month after surgery it was okay to swallow pills again, but every doctor is different...

You're doing good! I'm almost five months post op with the Loop Duodenal Switch surgery. My surgery weight was 321 and my current weight is 252 so it's at about the same pace. Keep it up and you'll reach your goal soon!

NSAIDS should be fine to take with a sleeved stomach, but yeah, check with your surgeon or primary just to be safe. You could also take Tumeric which is a natural anti-inflammatory.

I did a pre-diet prior to my surgery and everyone was still eating junk while I was eating healthier so I guess I just mentally prepared myself or something. My family frequently eats junk food like donuts, cookies, cake, pie, chips, fast food, etc. All things that I used to love and while yes, I do miss the food and think it looks and smells delicious, I haven't cheated or really even felt the need to cheat. Probably because if I start to feel tempted I immediately ask myself "Would it be worth it?" and the answer is always no. It also helps to focus on your weight loss and your future weight loss because you won't reach your goal by cheating. But yes, it can be frustrating when you're on a weight loss journey and everyone around you is eating the foods you used to love but can't indulge in anymore. On the bright side though I'm now the same size as my mom (and my sister prior to her current pregnancy). Hilariously we went clothes shopping for shirts because while I'm fine borrowing her pants, I don't like short sleeve ANYTHING and that's the main basis of her wardrobe due to her hot flashes, and the entire time she kept pointing out clothing SHE liked because, and I quote, "When they get too big for you, I can always wear them" lol. I settled on buying five 3/4 length sleeve tops. Only two of which she has claimed she wants when I can't wear them anymore! x'D

I have an autoimmune disorder called Eosinophilic Esophagitis where the white cells in my esophagus think my body is under attack so they multiply which causes narrowing in my esophagus and leads to choking. I end up having to have my throat stretched every 1-2 years. It's been a little over 2 so I'm definitely due to have it stretched again soon since I've been having more and more choking issues. The disorder causes acid issues at night and those were always really bad, but since my surgery it's actually been better. I now only take 1 acid reducer a night instead of 2. Different autoimmune diseases respond differently to weight loss surgery. I'd consult your bariatric surgeon and whatever specialist you see for your disease (in my case it's the gastroenterologist) to get an idea of what to expect, if anything, on how it'll effect your disease or disorder. I was just told it'll be a pain in the ass to do an EGD and a pain in the ass when I have my throat stretched. My gastroenterologist actually pouted when he found out I was having bariatric surgery! x'D