Zom B

Crap! I have been alternating between Viactiv caramel chewables and Bari Advantage chews for about 2 months now. Had no idea the Viactivs are Calcium carbonate.

That would explain why my Constipation got a little better. Less calcium absorption 😕

On 5/10/2021 at 12:09 PM, HealthyLifeStyle said:

I would double check with your doctor before doing this every day. I only do it every day because he told me to. The Miralax helps you go and the stool softeners make it softer/easier to come out.

Healthy Life Style, any updates? Usually no news is good news. I’m 10 months out and super struggle with Constipation and anal fissures. I take one capful of miralax nightly and that has helped but if I slack on my Water, eat extra salty that day or even get a sunburn I’m right back to straining and bleeding. Such a delicate balance 😬😔

Anyone find a Calcium product that doesn’t constipate? I’m struggling with it every few months and Hopi g there are supps out there that won’t cause this so often.

Anal fissure is back after having been healed and I am not looking forward to the next month of suppositories, bland eating, and pain

Also, I guess I just don’t understand why my surgeon has an expectation that I will not need any sort of GI help when it does to be so common?

Does anyone else use a mail laxative or stool softener? I see Colace (docusate sodium) a lot but it did nothing for me.

Everything you’re telling me lines up with all the googling, pre op classes, and reading I’ve done.

When I looked up pantoprazole it states that Constipation is a possible side effect yet my Dr has not agreed to try a different acid blocker even though I’ve asked several times. I really appreciate your response because I was starting to feel like I’m going crazy. I kept telling him “I feel drained, like I drink and drink and drink but feel so dry” and he doesn’t listen when I say it isn’t my Water or diet. I am super regimented and have had amazing results with my post op weight loss and energy gain m, however my body does not behave the way it used to. All the Vitamins and supps confuse it. I’m only 8 months out so I am trying to be patient but it is hard when dr’s don’t listen and my body is sending messages loud and clear. Sorry for getting ranty, I didn’t sleep a wink due to bum swelling and discomfort after the milk of magnesia kicked in. Any suggestions for an OTC acid reducer I can suggest to my surgeon? I know he’ll want me on one until at least a year out because I’d had an ulcer due to a stomach opening structure that had to be surgically corrected at 3 months post op.
Thanks in advance!

How long can the Miralax go on for? I was 5 months post op and my surgeon was very worried about me being on it any longer so he took me off but then I became constipated and have had to use a plethora of things to keep regular. Smooth Move tea (worked for a month), prunes (worked for a week), psyllium Fiber (made things worse), flax seed (did nothing), milk of magnesia (worked far too well), colace (didn’t work), Probiotics (didn’t work), and fleets enemas (works well but quite a production and after care). Now I get cotton mouth and feel dry all the time even though I’m always on the toilet for a pee because of all the fluids.

I’ve been struggling with an anal fissure due to the Constipation for the better half of three months and my Bari team is not super invested in helping me figure out what’s going on. I hear the same thing, up my Water and eat more fiber. I’ve done both but I still have dry mouth and hard BM’s. Feeling pretty low right now. Other than the usual Calcium and a multi V with Iron I’m only on one other thing, my PPI acid blocker. I exercise regularly and sleep well but my bathroom stuff is making me crazy.
I was not prepared for this type of complication.

On 1/31/2021 at 12:22 PM, Deb9386 said:

I do worry that I'm eating too many calories. My dietitian has said that I can go up to 1200 calories but I wonder if the higher calorie intake is what's stalled my weight loss? Re the calories, as well as adding Protein, I also got a bit concerned about the lack of fibre and Omega 3 oil foods etc in my diet (I can't tolerate fresh tuna or sardines and most whole veg). So I added in 15g per day of a cold milled seed mix (flax, sunflower & pumpkin) at 84 calories (I put it on bran flakes at breakfast), plus 6g of chopped nuts: 42 calories (hazelnuts & pecans) and 15g dried apricots (30 calories). With the calories for 25g bran flakes and the milk on it, it bumped up my calories a lot. I'm going to see how it goes, but if my stall doesn't break I'll probably pull back on my calorie intake.

I'm finding the balancing of everything really hard.

Deb, how’s the Fiber going? I’m super backed up and having some major BM issues but I eat a ton of veggies and fruit. I’m getting frustrated with myself and my do. Doesn’t want me on stool softeners but at 70 grams of Protein I need some major fiber.

On 11/9/2020 at 9:02 AM, Latrell said:

I believe my stall happened a week or so after my surgery. I lost 33 lbs and then gained. 4-8lbs. I believe I lost 4 more in the past week. I’m on my cycle so I’m hoping that it’s Water weight gain on top of being in a stall.

Ladies,

I’m 13 weeks out and I can attest that my body fluctuates 3-5 pounds during that week now. Before surgery it maybe bloated a little and fluctuated 2-3 only.

On my period, I made myself a rule to only do a Sunday morn weigh in. It keeps me positive and less focused on an unstable number.

Been there. Save your fruit intakes like mashed banana and apple sauce for those times. When I need pick-me-ups I focus on fruit and walks. Worked for me.

Also, Premier Protein makes a coffee shake, ‘cafe latte’ and it has a cup worth of caffeine. I stick with morning or afternoon only for those or they keep me up.
good luck

On 4/15/2020 at 10:59 PM, Loz77 said:

Hey Guys,

I just found this site after a hopeful search looking for someone who has or is going through something similar.

I had RNY with a Minimizer Ring on the 18^th of February 2020. I am 43 and 5ft 9In. My surgery weight was 296 pounds and I am now 238 pounds. A loss of 58 pounds so far.

I had been planning/researching the surgery for 5 years and after my last failed attempt of maintaining, went ahead with surgery with full knowledge of what to expect (well so I thought).

For full disclosure, my weight problems I think were based on years of yo-yo dieting. Mainly extreme calorie cutting and exercise to get to normal weight. However, when off the ‘diet wagon’ I would only eat a huge meal once a day after not eating all day and being starving when I got home. Usually meals were very much carb based with heavy sauces. I would eat normally on the weekend, but overly big portion sizes. I am not a sweet tooth or an emotional eater, nor am I a fussy eater. I also loved coke zero, which I have just found out is apparently a trickster. Anyways, I think I ruined my metabolism and losing weight was no longer working like it used to!

What I expected:

• · 5-10 days of a Keto kind of flu whilst my body adjusted to fat burning mode

• · Minimal appetite, but still some kind of signal I needed to eat

• · Being easily satiated with small amounts of food

• · Having to chew my food 20-30 times

• · No Water 30 mins before or 60 mins after food

• · Protein first, avoid simple carbs

What I did not expect

• · Persistent nausea

• · Aversions to all meat/poultry/fish and eggs (physically make me heave) and other random things (sour cream, mushrooms, pumpkin Soup, cheese that has been grilled)

• · Complete and utter exhaustion to the point where my personal hygiene is embarrassing because sometimes I can’t muster enough energy to have a shower for days

• · Dumping sometimes trying food for the first time, sometimes after having food that did not make me dump last time (for me it is sweating, heart racing, severe cramps and diarrhoea within 30 mins of eating)

• · Being so uncomfortably full even if it is just Water, or a couple of tiny bites of food. I get less than 1000 calories in a week

• · That chewing the food so many times would make most foods unpalatable and having to spit it out or throw up

• · The amount of times I belch, heave and bring up thick saliva……all day…..its disgusting and embarrassing!

I had read many stories before the surgery, some positive and some negative and was always quick to judge people thinking they were just negative Nancy’s or hypochondriacs and like attention. So it hard to write this post knowing a lot of people will think what I did.

I have had scans with contrasts and there are no issues. I have been hospitalised for dehydration, low potassium and high blood ketones. Ketones are normal due to weigh loss. Dehydration and potassium easily fixed with IV Fluid.< /p>

I have a gastroscope tomorrow morning to check if there is scar tissue etc causing my issues.

BUT WHAT IF THEY FIND NOTHING???? WILL THIS BE MY FOREVER??? HAS ANYONE DEALT WITH ANYTHING SIMILAR OR IS IT JUST MY BODY FREAKING OUT AND TAKING LONGER THAN NORMAL TO ADJUST?

Thanks if you read this far, it really means a lot. I would love to hear from you. I am open to all feedback.

Best,

Laura (Alice Springs, Australia)

Hi,

Very curios if you have an update? Did you need further procedures? Did your body eventually acclimate?
thx

20 minutes ago, Glowup Jess said:

I noticed people mention the largest inciscion. When does this muscle soreness subside ? Did they sow the abdominal muscles back together? I never felt my insides pull like this before. I don’t have any kids so I have nothing to go by. I’m just now realizing the steps needed to do this surgery and I was like oh my .. no wonder why I feel a bit crappy.

each day goes by I feel better though

For me, it was around 6 weeks before I could sit up, cough, sneeze, twist my upper body and wear high waisted anything without pain. Some folks heal super fast and some of us take time.

one thing I did that helped me log my progress when it felt agonizingly slow was to write on my kitchen calendar. Day 6 clear pee

Day 20 glue washed off

Day 25 eggs came up, mashed p’s stayed down

ETC. That’s really helped me remember the journey when every day was slow like molasses but a week flew by abs felt like zero progress. If I could go back, I would rest after my walks and listen to music more. Natural mood booster.
Hope you’re incisions start to feel better.

3 hours ago, tarotcardreader said:

Lol welcome to the Miralax club which im prob lifetime member of. When you say doctor are you talking about your surgeon or your primary care? Did you get the stone even with taking ursodil post op? I was thinking that med might b causing constipation. I had a ct today too so ill find out shortly. Im thinking few minor bumps then smooth sailing for us hopefully

We’re basically complication twins, Hahaha.

I’ll probably also be a Miralax lifer. When I say Dr, I mean surgeon as my PCP has little experience with WLS and prefers I defer to my surgeon.
He won’t let me try fruit options like prunes to loosen my stool due to high sugar/dumping so I’ll def always be on something.

YES! I was on Ursodil for weeks and it didn’t nothing to prevent my stone. Let me know how your CT goes. I ended up find out out I also have cysts in my lady region which might explain the terrible period pains I’ve been having.

Best of luck to you too

7 hours ago, Glowup Jess said:

Hey I’m day 3 post op and I still feel muscle tenderness and bad gas. I sneezed last night and almost wanted to cry! The pain was excruciating

I finished 1 shake earlier and it looks like I’ll finish my second this evening around 8-9

fluids are good, Urine is light yellow. sugar free Gatorade is saving me right now! Might do some broth later

Those sneezes and coughs are no joke! I wasn’t prewarned and had a rough allergy attack in late August. Day 1 - 6 were the absolute worst, I felt a shift around day 7 - 8 and got better and better. You’re already ahead of most if you’re monitoring your urine and electrolytes. Nice job!

On 10/15/2020 at 9:58 AM, RichelleGetsFit0309 said:

Saw my surgeon and told him about the discomfort. He said it’s most likely due to a stitch that hasn’t popped yet. He also put me back on stool softeners as well. Hopefully this and the prunes will get things going in the right direction. How is everyone doing?

Can you let me know how the prunes go? I’m really sick of Miralax and enjoy fruit.

On 10/13/2020 at 2:03 AM, Glowup Jess said:

Hey ! Thank you My surgery is today I’m a bit nervous but trying to keep calm

How are you feeling? Yesterday was my 8 week but I remember this first week well!

Stay hydrated and take your meds. Everything else is small potatoes.
💜

On 10/14/2020 at 9:16 AM, tarotcardreader said:

Your doctor can give you something called bentyl to try that might help

That was a month ago. I saw my Dr and he put me on a modified BRAT diet, Fiber, and Potassium. I ended up so constipated that I spent a day in urgent care and the next 3 days doing enemy’s and Miralax multiple times. I have a hunch I have a small bowel blockage because the gas is painful and smells bad like post op gas. Same with BM’s.

I had to have another CT and they found a 13mm gallstone so I have gallbladder surgery in my future 😕

My team has no clue why I’ve encountered so many problematic complications. I was supposed to be a slam dunk. Under 40, only apnea for pre existing conditions and took no meds before this. Guess we all got arrogant and the universe was like “Hey, catch!” LOL.

On 10/13/2020 at 5:10 AM, BayougirlMrsS said:

only thing that helps me is two extra-strength exlax

Do you get cramping from it? How much Water are you taking them with too?

17 hours ago, MsMocie said:

You need to see a doctor asap. Bleeding in the anal section should be taken serious.

I saw my team and a surgeon recommended Miralax daily in the morn. It hasn’t been working for me thus far though. I’ve also tried suppositories, stool softeners and high Fiber fruits. Nothing has gotten me to a happy medium 🤷🏻‍♀️

On 6/29/2020 at 3:36 AM, Lily66 said:

Technically, yes, Linzess “worked”, however my migraine’s were also triggered by it. Not everyone would have that by any means, but because I’ve had to be on the triptan’s for over 20 years, and now Aimovig, migraine’s are an issue here.

In discussing it with PC Dr. we decided since I was entering the stage of adding more vegetables and moderate fruits back into my diet, let’s hope that will help, in addition to Milk of Mag daily until I’m regular (enough). So far so good.

Must admit, it was nice to have that morning BM so effortlessly on the Linzess, but as we know, these meds so often have side effects.

Did fruits and Vggs help? I keep ping pinging between unstoppable diarrhea and bleeding Constipation.< br /> I’m truly miserable.

33 minutes ago, AmyNay strong said:

I am a little over 2 months PO and I have stalled so many times it’s unreal!! I’ll drop like crazy for a week then hit a stall for a week. It drives me crazy because I do the same things all the time.

I’m 6 weeks in a few days and feel the exact same, lol.

24 minutes ago, Lilfootie said:

Anyone else feeling foggy on the liquid diet? I am on Actigall and it’s not a side effect, but I am having trouble finishing a thought and feel drugged. I’m having a Gatorade Zero in case it is electrolytes (I have been peeing like crazy!!!). I can have only Protein Shakes and raw veggies. What has it been like for you all?

Foggy for sure! I was drained/dazed on the pre diet and the 2 week post liquid as well. Purées is when I gained clarity and energy. Soft foods felt like rebirth.

Hang in there.

3 hours ago, LJW said:

I'm almost 2 months out from my sleeve. I have lost 42 pounds. The problem is that I am finding that a lot of foods taste yucky to me now.

I totally never expected that. Even foods that I once loved now taste "chemically" to me. I have given up on lots of foods altogether.

My surgeon says he hears this all the time but no good explanation.

Any insights?

Yes, absolutely! I’m 6 wks out RNY and not only are tastes off, but smells are too. eggs now have a slightly wet dog odor to my nose. I gag if I don’t cover them in shredded cheese. It feels quite similar to pregnancy where my stomach and nose were NEVER on the same page. Some consistency’s make me ill as well. Dry chicken, tuna and cod. If I’m honest, I have become a little frustrated with Proteins as the more of them I try, the smaller my options seem.

I have hope that after 8 and 12 weeks my senses will calm a bit.

1 hour ago, Manyloves said:

I live in Bellevue! Having surgery in Kirkland. Not scared but I am scared! Anxious nervous all of those things wrapped in one! I thought of moving to Lynwood.

The best advice I got pre-op and again post-op was to take things day by day. If I got stressed or was hurting, take things hour by hour. That really helped me get through the rough days when I wanted to focus on being healed and past liquids and such.

You’re gonna do great.

1 hour ago, Latanya said:

I'm not sure what is normal after the surgery because I didn't have enough time to experience it before I was rushed to the hospital because a hernia got looped in my intestine. The pain after that was excruciating. However I don't think you have anything to worry about but I would check with Dr to make sure everything is fine.

Oh my!!! Latanya, when did that happen? How are you feeling since then? I had a CT scan two weeks ago where they found a spot on my old stomach that the surgeon missed when stitching and there’s a slow leak that is taking longer to heal. They said it is rare but will slowly heal itself. I thought that was bad but your emergency hernia sounds terrifying. I’m sorry you went through that!