It's time.

I had terrible Hair loss so started maintenance early. Now I'm struggling to get back on program. I wish I'd stayed on program but was freaked out and didn't know how long the hair loss would last. It was severe and lasted 7 months. I'm older so my hair doesn't grow very fast anymore.

1 hour ago, RickM said:

I would definitely give some push back and ask for a different prep - there are many. Does he know that you have had WLS since your last scope?

I just had one last month and they prescribed SuPrep, which is a low volume, two step prep - two 8 oz (IIRC) bottles that you drink fairly quickly, followed by a couple of bottles of Water the next hour, done the night before and then again the morning of the procedure, and that seemed to go well - for both me and the doc. Should be little problem for a 1 year post op.

My wife had a bad scope some years ago despite being compliant with the prep, It turns out that others with the DS like her reported similar problems - it seems that the wacky intestinal configuration needs a bit more time to clean out, as we discussed in one of our support group meetings. One of the other vets in the group who had a similar problem worked out a revised routine with his gastro that basically involved doing the clear diet for two (or possibly three) days before the bowel prep, and that did the job. When it was time for my wife's next scope a couple of years ago - new gastro since we had moved - we hit him up with the problem, and while he was focusing mostly on the WLS needing a low volume prep, which he prescribed, she did the modified longer liquid (not strictly clear the first day, just liquidy) and all went well with that one, too.

So, while I am not an MD, it is clear that there are several ways to get the job done, and you gastro should be sensitive to your needs as well as his own. It kinda sounds like he is punishing you for what he may interpret as non-compliance the last time, or maybe this potion is what he is most experienced with for a more challenging case, and while he may be aware of newer preps on the market, he isn't experienced with them and goes with his old tried and true.

Again, I would push back at this, tell him that you can't comply with this and why. Discuss what other options there are to get the job done that works for both of you. Your medical care, as with most things in life, are a negotiation and you have a say in this. If the doc doesn't want to comply with your needs, then it is entirely within your rights to go to a different doctor to get what you need. Ask your PCP or your bariatric practice for a referral to someone more bariatric friendly, if necessary.

Good luck,

Thank you so so much for your response. You seem to understand the situation. I like the idea of a longer liquid diet or even doing the 192 oz they want me to have over 3 days. I am still waiting for a return phone call from the doctor but it feels good to have some suggestions/modifications to discuss with him. My post surgery doctor just told me he would defer to the gastro which was disappointing. I thought he would have some options.

3 hours ago, lizonaplane said:

The liquid doesn't stay in your stomach; it passes right through, so that's not really the issue. I haven't had surgery yet, but I have had two colonoscopies. I will tell you the worst part is the taste of the stuff and it makes things come out both ends. You will not want to drink it, but it's got to be done - I work in cancer research and colon cancer is not something to mess with! I would take as big "gulps" as your new stomach allows, and try to drink as early in the day as you can and then just keep drinking. Hopefully it will be not as terrible as you think and you will have a clear result! Good luck!

I've had several of these, but none post surgery and none that called for 192 oz in 24 hours. It's not the taste nor the shitting. I'm concerned about the amount of Fluid intake in a short period of time. My stomach is small. You'll understand after your surgery. They want 64 oz the day before at 8am, then another 64oz at 5 pm then another 64oz at 8am the day of the procedure. I normally have 64oz total in 24 hours. This is three times the amount I normally have. My post surgery doctor said there is a modified prep for bariatric patients.

15 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

I scheduled my last colonoscopy appointment in the afternoon so I could break up the Golytely (or whatever it is) - I drank half of it in the evening and the other half the following morning (per instructions).

I had a morning appt the first time I went through this so I had to drink the whole gallon in one evening. Not doing that again...

In both cases, though, I had to drink a bottle of magnesium citrate the night before I started the golytely, and the mag citrate is only like 16 oz - so I did have two days of prep, but it sounds like it might be different from yours.

(in other words, I did day 1 - bottle of magnesium citrate. Day 2 - half gallon of Golytely in the evening. Day 3 (day of colonoscopy) - the other half gallon of Golytely that morning, colonoscopy in the afternoon

Maybe I wasn't clear on their instructions. The day before, 64oz in the AM then another 64oz in the PM. PLUS, an additional 64oz the morning of the procedure. That's 192oz in 24 hours.

I'm scheduled for a colonoscopy and since my previous one was " fair" they want me to the high volume two day prep. This is after my sleeve surgery and I can't see how I can drink 180 oz, in 24 hours. I normally have 64 oz in a day. My stomach just isn't that big anymore. I have a call into my doctor. What have others done for the two day prep, post surgery?

I didn't have one issue post surgery and followed the program to the letter. It was very very easy for me. I'm almost a year out and am now having severe cravings and don't feel full after eating. I'm maintaining and that is good, but am starting to worry about the cravings and slipping into bad habits.

Marketplace on Facebook. I found someone giving away a bagful of clothes in the size I was looking for. I was pretty lucky.

Scar tissue forms to hold it in place.

I did it for me.

I was told to remind myself that it took years to gain all that weight, so why did I think it was going to go away with a surgery and a few months. It's going to take time and work to learn and change things. Not just what I'm eating but why I ate the way I did.

I'm 65 and had two open heart surgeries and on my second pacemaker. My doctor didn't blink about my heart and Medicare paid for it.

10 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Did you start maintenance naturally i.e. you reached a point that you weren’t losing any more, or did you &/or your team decide it was time for you to to stop losing & maintain so you increased your intake?

You may find it difficult to lose more if you had reached the point of equilibrium (your calories in equalled the calories your body burns) without changing what you were doing. To lose more you’ll have to reduce your calories to less than what you were consuming up to that time. If you stopped losing at say 1000 calories you will have to eat less than that &/or be more active to lose again. A reset may help in this situation. Remember, to maintain at a lower weight you will still have to consume less than you are eating now &/or be more active. It’s something to consider from a sustainability perspective - can you maintain this diet & activity level long term?

Of course if you deliberately started maintenance, losing more should be easier. You’d have to go back to what you were eating before you increased your food intake to maintain. If you had been losing at say 1000 calories you should only have to reduce your intake back to 1000 calories to start to lose again.

But I’m not an expert. Have a chat with your nutritionalist & your medical team. They’ll be your best source of information & guidance.

Good luck.

My dietician and I decided to stop losing because of my severe Hair loss. It's been 3 months and has finally ended. ( horrible experience). I did hear back from her and she said it's ok to do the pre-op diet for one week, then slowly increase calories from there.

You must be on here a lot. Why would you need to do that?

I've been on maintenance for several months but now want to loose another 15-20 lbs but don't know how to do that. I want a quick start so thinking of doing a week of the pre-op diet or a week of the post -op. Has anyone jump started their post program like this? Any suggestions?

What is a pouch reset anyway?

I got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine today. Can't wait to go back to the gym!

I'm a sleeve and was told to take sublingual B12, a multi vit, and 1200mg of calcium citrate + D3 daily for the rest of my life.

My dietician told me being cold is permanent in 80% of her weight loss surgery clients. I wasn't happy to hear that.

I am experiencing the exact same thing and am terrified. My hair is my thing and long and curly, it's now very thin, straggly and straight. I discussed this with my dietician and I'm going on maintenance until it stablizes then I will go back on the program and loose 20 more.

but slower. She said it's the rapid weight loss. I've lost 65 pounds and will be content with that for now. Right now, my hair is more important to me. I do take all the vits I'm supposed to and do get all the Protein and Water in and I still lost so much hair. She said I'm the poster child for weight loss surgery by doing everything I am supposed to, but without my hair, it's not worth it. She said it could take several months to start growing again. I've added more zinc just so I can feel like I'm doing something. She said it really won't help but it can't hurt.

See a cardiologist immediately. With complete heart block you need a pacemaker.

Great job!

I'm wondering where you are shopping.

Yes, I am doing exactly that. From Thanksgiving to today I have eaten what I wanted but sensibly, keeping track of my calories about 1/3 of the days. I didn't gain, but I also didn't deprive myself of the foods I enjoy. I also overindulged a handful of times. I don't feel guilty and as of today I am following my program, wanting to lose another 15 pounds. Back to basics and plenty of protein! I haven't entered the maintenance phase either. I did this on purpose. I'm not sure if it was a good idea or not. We will see in the coming weeks.

I wouldn't do a liquid diet while you are nursing. You need quality calories right now for your baby. Ask a dietitian for help.

This happened to me. I was scheduled for April. It was put on hold with no new date. They called in June and I had it done 10 days later. I had to scramble at the last minute to do the pre-op diet and make arrangements etc.