The Greater Fool

Not all of our surgeons have plans that include protein drinks. Best to wait and discover YOUR surgeon's plan for you. Good luck, Tek

You've lost 31.8% of your excess weight in 7 weeks. 1/3 of your excess weight in less than 2 months. I lost about 13% of my excess weight in my first 2 months. I made it to goal and past goal, and am still at a normal BMI. You've convinced yourself you are not doing well when, in fact, you are doing extraordinarily well. Get off the scale. It's the devil. Continued success and good luck. Tek

I still haven't found weighing useful Good luck, Tek

Are you still following your plan? Actually following it, not waving at it from a distance? Most of our plans, regardless of particulars, come in around 1200 calories [adjusted for activity level] at a year out. Some a couple hundred more or less. Where does yours fall? What is your activity level? Sedate or super-athletic? No wrong answers here, only honest ones. It all comes down to calories in vs. calories out. Balance = little weight change. Adjust where you need it but be sure you can sustain it. You're not on a diet you're on your life now. Good luck, Tek

Yes, that is always the goal. If it is occasionally not the reality it won't harm you or your program. Perfection is over-rated. Good luck, Tek

It's not the end of the world if on occasion you don't get absolutely all of your protein for a meal or even a day. It's likewise no terrible sin to leave food on a plate uneaten. It can actually be liberating. Enjoy your vacations. Tek

Sit everyone down and have one of those warm, come together, group hug, family meetings. Explain that Mommy will be out of commission for a couple weeks, so everyone needs to come together in one of those typical warm and fuzzy family moments and agree to pitch in to help out. The best way for you to handle the fatigue and irritability are easy: Close the door, lock it, bolt it, put furniture in front of it, set traps, then go too sleep and watch the TV programs you want to watch for a change. If anyone dares knock on the door, you can either snarl and throw out a small animal carcass as warning, or just shout choice profanity. You know your family, use what will work best. Everyone will need to run their part of the house. This may cause the house to spin in circles, but at least it will be getting run. It is unlikely this will cause any lasting harm, but if it does repair costs can be taken out of allowances. The decision making will be easy: "Yes." They'll need to arrange their own play dates, hopefully in the typical PG or PG-13 way they are now. Cleaning up... well... really, how bad can it get in a couple weeks? Besides, dirt and germs only help everyone's immunity to work better and harder. It's a win-win for everyone involved. Oh, so your surgeon says no caffeine? Bast****. Well, if you've taken my advice, you've locked yourself in your bedroom and will be sleeping snarling at anyone that dares interrupt your solitude . Who needs energy for that? Bask in your new found sloth. . You didn't really give us a scorecard on what your family looks like. But I'll bet they'll answer your call for support as best as they can. Your husband will step up. All those adults you are arranging play dates with will step up and do what needs to be done. Or, in typical fashion, they won't. They're your associates, you know how they'll handle things. When your kids ask you to play, you will be kind and not the least bit irritable. Even if your worst fears occur and nothing get's done your home will still survive and everything will be there when you are able to resume everything you do. Regardless what happens, take some time to deal with your needs for a few weeks. Good luck, Tek

I'm 18+ years post-op. I still dump. It's been probably 17 years since I "worried" about dumping. Really, it's not all that different than learning to live with a minor health or life condition. Like a bad knee, food sensitivity, living with a spouse or roommate, you learn what you can and can't do and when. You learn, and adjust, and keep moving on. I've learned generally what foods (sugars and fats) in what quantity over what period MIGHT cause me to dump and then I generally stay away from those foods in those quantities over that period. especially when I'm not at home. But over the years I've learned that the window can be moved to being more sensitive than usual. Fatigue, stress, anxiety, illness, and other such things can make me more sensitive than normal. Sometimes it sneaks up on you, then you deal with it. It would have been worse for me if I didn't dump. Sugar as well as fats would have made more and more appearances in my diet. I don't think I would be where I am physically if I didn't dump. So a surprise dumping episode now and then to remind me of where I was and where I could be even after surgery is certainly a well received reminder I'm more than happy to endure. Good luck, Tek

I would have been knocking on my surgeon's door long before now. Everyone needs to learn not to be shy about reporting issues to your surgeon and keep banging on them until there are action items in place to deal with whatever the issue is. If the action items don't resolve the issue then keep banging. The squeaky wheel get the grease. The screeching wheel gets whatever it needs. Good luck, Tek

Get to a therapist. A Bariatric therapist would be even better. Good luck, Tek

That does sound like early dumping, except the throwing up part. Check with your Doc as it almost seems like a stricture. I couldn't throw up unless something is stuck and even then it's more akin to spitting up. Since we have no pyloric valve our food/drink drops straight to the intestines so after a minute there is nothing in a place where it could through up. This is why I think stricture or similar could be in play. Check your protein drink. Not all are for weight control. Some have copious amounts of sugar. Bang on your surgeon's head until he gets the message you need help. Bring the protein drink and throw up on him you have have to. Don't get discouraged you will get through this. Good luck, Tek

Yes, is normal for it to hurt the first few days. Keep doing as much as you possibly can until you reach what your supposed to be doing, then keep doing that. You will likely be able to do pills normally once the pain subsides. Real soon. Sounds like you are doing well. Just continue doing your absolute best. Good luck, Tek

Could you describe your dumping episodes? Tek

Like @catwoman7 I was laser focused on my plan for the first year or longer. I didn't have a piece of candy, or a cookie, or any previously favored treat. I was a binge eater, if one was good ten would be better. I was honestly afraid that one might turn into more. I wouldn't even do a low calorie version because in the past they were always stepping stones to a lot of the real thing. Rather, I turned my obsession to following plan. I was surprised by the pride I felt by following the simple rules of my plan day after day. For now stay focused and compliant to your plan and be rewarded with the positive feedback loop of losing weight. You are building new habits and a new lifestyle that will serve you for the rest of your life. Good luck, Tek

I realize I didn't directly answer "Should I be concerned?" I was concerned. I was in my early 40's and things were starting to go wrong. Hauling around 500+ extra pounds takes it's toll. Looking at the future, I could see I would be bed bound in a couple years, which would impact my life negatively in so many ways. Already, medical issues were becoming increasingly frequent and severe. In a word, the future looked bleak. So, yes, I was concerned. When I decided RNY was for me and I chose the surgeon for the task, yes, I was concerned. I was concerned that he wouldn't be able to help me because I was so large, it would have been a sentence to a slow, miserable death. When my surgeon took me on as a patient "concern" wouldn't be what I felt. Hope was what I felt. He told me the plan and I felt it I could do it. He was frank that being as large as I was that I could die during surgery. My wife and I discussed this possibility and both agreed it was better to die trying to change things than to die the slow death we saw ahead. So, I was not concerned about surgery, I would have been concerned to not get surgery. Was I concerned that my surgeon hadn't had a patient as large as me? No, I thanked my lucky stars he was giving me a chance to live. I still did my due diligence though. I checked out the surgeons past, since he had been involved in WLS studies, I looked at his documented outcomes. I grilled him with questions as he did me. Turns out I was very lucky. My concern, if I had one, was that the testing would reveal a problem that would have caused my surgery to be cancelled. Fortunately nothing got in the way. Good luck, Tek

I stopped monthly visits after 1.5 years, then about three appointments about 6 months apart to talk about eating during my binge running phase. At these appointments, my plan was modified to be 4, then 5 meals a day. Then adding a protein drink. I felt like I was eating all day long and after getting used to 3 meals a day it was not a pleasant feeling, oddly enough. I then started the annual physical routine with my PCP where they would do the appropriate blood work and I did my annual weigh in since I don't weigh at home. Good luck, Tek

I had 6 weeks of puree, then the adventure of normally textured food, where broccoli was shaped like broccoli, lettuce like lettuce, chicken like chicken... well, chicken parts. Pureed was easier than food because that last bite wasn't quite as hard a wall as the last bite with food. So, it was a learning process again to know when to stop before the infamous 'one bite too much.' So I ate a little slower, chewed a little better, and honestly it took an amazingly small number of times doing it wrong to start getting it right. As time moved forward as it inextricably does, things got easier and mistakes grew further and further apart. So many things change where the last bite is. If I'm tired, or sick, or stressed, or upset, my limits are tighter. If I'm not aware it will be a problem, but rarely the rush to the bathroom and spit up variety. I ran into the 'one bite too many' syndrome more often when I was in a good mood, sharing a meal with friends having a good time, absorbed in conversation not paying attention to the mechanics of eating. Eventually you learn to balance this out also. Really, we all build up regular foods as something to be feared. You read what I wrote up to this point and it can sound like a horrible mine field. Really it is just another step in the process, as hard or easy as we make it. The more worried I was, the worse I did. When I just relaxed and did it I did much better. So, just relax, pay attention, and push forward. Good luck, Tek

If all goes well I can't imagine you will have much trouble. Grad school is pretty cool about unobtrusive food and drink, at least it was back in Bedrock [It's a Flintstone's joke you whippershappers! Look it up! Get off my lawn!] Even bathroom breaks wouldn't be noticeable if you can resist the compulsion to sit at the front of the room. I would have been whining in bed weeks after sinus surgery, Oh, jeezus. And a C-section?!? Just put on the tights and cape already. Enjoy your journey, you will rock this. Good luck, Tek

I'm 18 years post-op, I can handle a hand full spread through the evening. Tek

oops

A-1 You will still take your meds. If any are time-release they will likely convert to to immediate release as time-release is iffy with RNY; A-2 Most doctors have no issue with acetaminophen but some will not like NSAIDs like aspirin at least in the short term. NSAIDs are a ready argument around here, some folks believe they are off the list forever, others that reasonable non-constant use is OK. Pick your sides. B-1 Most likely. B-2 Most unlikely. Do you have a recliner? It might be useful for a couple days. B-3 If you can now you will be able to after perhaps with mild pain. B-4 Your Doc will tell you. You won't smell to bad when you are finally able to shower, unless B-3 is problematic. C-1 There are stevedores that worked the dock the night after surgery and home bound people that couldn't manage to get from room to room. You won't know until you know. Probably a week or three. C-2 I would imagine you would be healed enough to ride within a month, maybe a couple weeks, more or less. Precise estimates are my job, sorta maybe. A lot of this stuff is personal experience. The Doc is also a good resource on all of the stuff, don't be afraid to engage him/her/it/them/xi. Now, let's read all the conflicting answers together, shall we? I'll get the popcorn. Good luck, Tek

I've never been to Indiana nor your Bariatric group but I want to lend some support and encouragement. It sounds like the office staff are not doing a good job and you get to suffer and (literally) pay for it. Sometimes it feels personal, doesn't it? It is certainly frustrating. It also sounds like communication is pretty bad. I'd guess that any non-emergency surgeries have been put on hold because of the spike in Covid cases over the summer. Of course, whatever the reason, they have failed in the communication area also. Keep banging the drums to get them moving correctly. You will get there eventually. Good luck, Tek

I think it would be prudent to call your Doc and express clearly the extent of your discomfort and work out a plan of action(s) to resolve it. Good luck, Tek

Honestly, there aren't a lot of folks 600+ pounds (comparatively) that are looking for surgery and a lot of surgeons out there now, so this isn't surprising to me. I was the largest my surgeon had done to that time. I had a rough beginning as my surgery was open (not laproscopic) and the staples and drain were extraordinarily painful. But once that stuff was removed I did and felt fine. My Docs plan was to teach me how to eat healthy and this started day 1 post-op. I still live this plan. By month 6 the plan became my new normal and I had hundreds of pounds of successful weight loss to reinforce that my plan was working. And the rest, as they say, is history. I went on to lose all my excess weight, weight I have not found again since. I had my acceptable goal weight and my goal weight and blew right past them to a weight of which I never dreamed in my wildest dreams. I've done so many things I never thought I would like running 5 marathons. I done so many things I never even thought about. It's been a great ride. If your surgeon, like mine, takes you on as a patient it means they are confident they can help you. Do your due diligence as you should for any Doc then move forward with a can-do attitude because there will be a bunch of hoops to jump through. You won't recognize your life in 3 years. Good luck, Tek

I probably ate fried foods at about 10 months post-op. Pasta maybe about the same time. What your saying is a doctor wouldn't give you a date. That's because he would rather you didn't do it at all, which is the prudent thing to (not) do. Eventually, you will need to come to peace with these things. Wait a few months longer if you can. Good luck, Tek