Lilfootie

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I had my lapband removed in October of 2019 just shy of 10 years. I did great with it. Lost 170 pounds. Just since October 2019 and now I’ve put on 70 pounds and feel awful and discouraged. I had lost my job after the emergency surgery right before the pandemic hit. I made the decision to go forward with the gastric sleeve. My surgery is scheduled for February 19th. I’m so nervous. I should have already had the surgery but haven’t because of delays with the pandemic. All I can tell you is talk with your doctors. I felt so lost after having my band taken out and so defeated. I felt like I had failed. I’ve spent so many days in the doctors office crying. But look into talking to your doctors. My doctors sat and told me all my options as far as surgical and non surgical. I opted for surgical because I know myself. I hope you get the answers you want and need. I’m always here if you need anything. I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared or terrified to have a permanent surgery now after the band which was removable but I’m hopeful for a healthier life. Hope you find the right answers for you.

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I am only 3mo post op and I saw the difference in my progress photos today and wanted to share - just my belly - I think it is 1 week post op vs 3 months. I am a slow loser, or more of a staller dropper (I have had a stall of at least 14 days all three months lol) so taking photos really helps me!

I stall ALL the time. I just came out of a 16 day stall. I feel like I lose for two weeks each month and stall for two weeks. It is always around my TOM. My hormones were out of control this month! Last time I came out of a stall I lost 7.5 lbs in 4 days. It is what it is, and I am about the same as other people with my starting weight and height. It’s hard to compare to others when we all have different body chemistry. Some people lose a lot more in the beginning and taper off after 4-6 months, and others seem to lose less at a time, but more consistently for the first year or two. As long as you are following your plan, you will be where you need to be by the end of the first year, even if it is a different trajectory than others.

I stall ALL the time. I just came out of a 16 day stall. I feel like I lose for two weeks each month and stall for two weeks. It is always around my TOM. My hormones were out of control this month! Last time I came out of a stall I lost 7.5 lbs in 4 days. It is what it is, and I am about the same as other people with my starting weight and height. It’s hard to compare to others when we all have different body chemistry. Some people lose a lot more in the beginning and taper off after 4-6 months, and others seem to lose less at a time, but more consistently for the first year or two. As long as you are following your plan, you will be where you need to be by the end of the first year, even if it is a different trajectory than others.

I stall ALL the time. I just came out of a 16 day stall. I feel like I lose for two weeks each month and stall for two weeks. It is always around my TOM. My hormones were out of control this month! Last time I came out of a stall I lost 7.5 lbs in 4 days. It is what it is, and I am about the same as other people with my starting weight and height. It’s hard to compare to others when we all have different body chemistry. Some people lose a lot more in the beginning and taper off after 4-6 months, and others seem to lose less at a time, but more consistently for the first year or two. As long as you are following your plan, you will be where you need to be by the end of the first year, even if it is a different trajectory than others.

Every surgeon/office/insurance is different, so I’m not sure that anyone here can give you concrete answers. My office provided a folder with all of the information about moving forward, checklists of what is to be done and when, and lists of providers who can help me with those things - like psychological exams, etc. My folder was specific to my insurance plan (I am *** and it was the only office that my insurance works with in my area, so they see a lot of people with my insurance). If I were you, I would ask which procedure is recommended by your physician and discuss why you have your preference. I would also discuss seeing any additional doctors that are not required by insurance to make sure everything is planned out and safe. I had to see a vascular specialist. You may want to discuss COVID plans too. My office switched people to outpatient instead of overnight stay if they were young, which I would not have agreed to, because you have to go the ER then if something is wrong, and who wants to sit in a waiting room full of potential COVID patients when they just got out of surgery? Other than that, you will probably have questions as they go through the material during the appointment. If not, most offices are great at answering questions if they come up later. Your success is their success, so I have heard more often than not that doctors/teams are extremely responsive (mine definitely was/is). Bring a notepad to take notes just in case. Good luck!

My dietitian’s model is: 3 meals per day, no Snacks. one meal - 2oz Protein, 2oz carb. Another meal - 2oz protein, 2oz fruit. Last meal - 2oz protein, 2oz veggie. They want it to be super balanced. I am able to have more protein and less of the others. Often I have veg more than once if I cook with them. I also may have cheese. Right now I am eating a boca burger with fat free cheese and Tomato. I had one egg and 2/3 slice of Ezekiel toast for Breakfast. I can eat 4oz of protein, no problem, but eating more carbs or fruit than 2oz makes me super sleepy.

Hi! I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now. I’m sorry you’re going through this! Can you swap the treat with something else to gradually get off of the sugar? E.g. Sugar Free Chocolate candy, sugar free hot chocolate, sugar free chocolate cool whip, etc. I often end my night with a Decaf and sugar free sweet cream or a sugar free hot chocolate. It helps curb the chocolate cravings I get. I make the hot chocolate from scratch with sweet n low and cocoa powder. I have also found an egg white Protein powder that is sinfully rich and chocolaty - Julian’s bakery. Other ideas could be finding a Protein Bar that feels like candy, sugar free chocolate pudding, dipping fruit in melted sugar free chocolate chips, baking with chocolate protein powder. You can still have your treats without beating yourself up! You are going to figure it out - it takes a lot of work and determination to get where you are now - you got this!

I also started at 213 and am at 181 (was 183 yesterday lol), so we are about the same. Surgery was 10/19 and I am 5’3”

Thanks so much! I’m FINALLY starting to feel better. The tests showed that something is going on in my intestines but didn’t show exactly what I had. My surgeon definitely said it is NOT dumping syndrome. I am on 2 different antibiotics and I’m feeling a little better so that’s hopeful. I go back to the Gastro doctor tomorrow so I will see what else they plan on doing. Hopefully this is just a bacterial infection that will go away after the medicine.

Have your doctor write a note - reasonable accommodation. I have one (I work on my feet with people with disabilities) - it says that due to my recent surgery I need to be able to take enough Water breaks to meet my water goals or I risk dangerous dehydration. It is for 1 yr. I was worried because of COVID and masks that I would not be able to get away to stay hydrated. You could have your doctor write something about lightheadedness- what they suggest you do and that it is a health risk. You could also apply for FMLA so that the days you fee lightheaded, you can take off and not lose your job.

My brother is a GI doc and he says that Miralax is extremely safe! You can take HUGE doses and be ok. I take a double dose every day I don’t have a BM. If I go more than 3 days without one, I add a stimulant and take 1.5 doses of Miralax every four hours until I go. Before doing this I was going once a week, after taking laxatives (Colace and Senna) for 3-5 days. It was AWFUL.

Hi! Anyone have chest/shoulder pain not immediately after surgery? I am 2 months post op and it started 2 weeks ago and is getting more frequent and lasting longer. Gas meds don’t work, Tylenol works a tiny bit. I have one pain under/behind my left clavicle that hurts mostly when compressed or when I open my jaw. The other pain is behind the incision on my chest (right under bra line on left side), like behind the bone. It’s where the sternum and ribs meet and radiates backwards to my spine. The weird thing is - my spine gets pins and needles when I have this pain. No weakness in my limbs. I can exercise through the pain, no problem. No shortness of breath or fever. These two types of pain never happen at the same time. It’s like it moves around. My mom has paracarditis, which is autoimmune and not hereditary, but it kind of matches this pain. I also read that it could be a leak - could it be this far out? I messaged my care team and hope to reach them before Xmas. It all started when I returned to working from home and was sitting all day. I thought it was muscular. It was also when I upped my exercise to 5-6 days/week, began running, and started Pilates. Can anyone relate or have an insight? Thank you!!!

I put my scale away until my next appt (Nov 17). Anyone else? I know I’m doing everything I am supposed to do and the weight will come off. I started getting frustrated, weighing multiple times a day and I got sick of it, lol! Last time I looked on 10/30 I was 203lbs (down 40 lbs from starting weight and 10 from surgery on 10/19).

Oh no! That sounds awful!!!! I am so sorry you’re going through this!!! What has your doctor tried? Have they done any diagnostic tests like an endoscopy or upper/lower GI? Have they ruled out intolerances? Soy/corn/silicon hide in almost every food and dairy is big post-surgery. Food dyes? Artificial sweeteners? I found that Erythritol made me so so so so sick when they first started putting it in everything (diarrhea for days), and it is in a lot of Protein and “healthy” drinks/snacks. Malitol too. My daughter had a milk protein allergy that made her intestines bleed over time. It started out ok and built up over time. Resolved as she got older. Could you have Diverticulitus? Is it possible that you had celiac disease pre-op that you didn’t know about and it is now kicking your butt now that you have started to eat gluten again (if you are eating gluten again)? Have you taken a COVID test? GI symptoms are really big for some people. Do you normally get bad diarrhea from your menstrual cycle? I have read that a lot of women post-op have nasty hormone swings for a while as the estrogen is released from their fat cells. Forgive the brainstorming, I just really REALLY feel for you <hugs>. Hope you get some answers soon and start feeling better!!!

Hi! I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now. I’m sorry you’re going through this! Can you swap the treat with something else to gradually get off of the sugar? E.g. Sugar Free Chocolate candy, sugar free hot chocolate, sugar free chocolate cool whip, etc. I often end my night with a Decaf and sugar free sweet cream or a sugar free hot chocolate. It helps curb the chocolate cravings I get. I make the hot chocolate from scratch with sweet n low and cocoa powder. I have also found an egg white Protein powder that is sinfully rich and chocolaty - Julian’s bakery. Other ideas could be finding a Protein Bar that feels like candy, sugar free chocolate pudding, dipping fruit in melted sugar free chocolate chips, baking with chocolate protein powder. You can still have your treats without beating yourself up! You are going to figure it out - it takes a lot of work and determination to get where you are now - you got this!