Reign7780

Hello Reign,
I am 11 year post op. I still have some gas issues. I find laying down on a rolled up pillow and rocking back and forth on it seems to push the gas along. Think of it like soothing a baby with collic. Tummy time works for us too.

I am I have however been really struggling with old eating behaviors and have been trying to get that under control as well.

Mine was for my wedding. I wanted to be my best self. Unfortunately my fiance passed away give months before our wedding day.

Thanks for your response. I hope you get the answers you want and soon.
I hope that in time I feel better and have more energy. It's rough dealing with the fatigue.

Not sure if my own experiences could offer any insight... but, I have two autoimmune diseases/disorders: Psoriasis and Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Psoriasis deals with skin issues though there is some joint pain that comes with that. And Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE) has to do with the white cells in your esophagus thinking your body is under attack and multiplying. It causes narrowing in your esophagus which leads to dysphagia and choking issues. Acid issues. Chest pain and abdominal pain. And the occasional time where food backs up on you and either gets stuck in your throat trying to come out or you spit or throw it up (generally when you eat too fast, too soon, or too much). I'm allowed to drink a little if I choke BECAUSE of the EOE (I rarely have to though. Usually only once or twice a week where I have a choking incident and need to take a sip).
I do deal with more fatigue then most. I don't actually know if it's due to either of my autoimmune disorders or if it has to do with another health issue that may actually be ANOTHER autoimmune disorder (my doctor is trying to figure out if I have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) or if my various symptoms with the fatigue is caused by a spinal Fluid leak (the two have very similar symptoms and are often misdiagnosed as the opposite problem so my doctor is trying to cover all her bases and figure out which one it is. We're both HOPING it's the spinal fluid leak because that could be fixed semi-easily while the other issue has no cure as the meds for it didn't work for me. I really hope it's the spinal fluid leak because if it's the other I'd end up permanently disabled and I'm only 33 so I very much don't want that).
I do know that despite still having fatigue issues, I have more energy now than I did six months ago (I'm almost 13 months post op) so I feel that it WILL get better. At least a bit. Hopefully whatever treatment they have for you improves upon that as well! I wish you the best!

Hi all. I am not very active here, but I am struggling lately and just have a couple of questions.
I started back to university in January, which I'm so glad I was able to, but it has been exhausting and I don't think it really should be. I am also from Texas, so we are still going through some pretty awful stuff at the moment. My family (5 kids, my husband, and I) made it out unscathed for the most part and got very lucky we only lost power for about 8 hours. I was pretty scared of being without power so we risked travel on icy highways to travel to my mom's house since she has a generator. We left to come back home because I was afraid of our pipes bursting and the animals were alone, and unfortunately on the way home we were rear-ended due to some black ice. We are okay and it's probably all just cosmetic damage, but we'll need our entire bumper replaced. It has been so extremely stressful, to say the very least. We, fortunately, had power back when we came home and our pipes did okay through the freezing weather.
I have been struggling with fatigue. My doctor has suspected an autoimmune issue for a while (years), and I finally saw my rheumatologist after an entire year of waiting. Well, my blood work shows markers so when I go back I'm sure there will be more tests. I do have hypothyroidism and my T3 is low (other thyroid levels within normal ranges), but I have never been tested for Hashimoto's, I was just put on Levothyroxine and have been on it since 2011. My Vitamins are okay as far as I can see. I know I'm also probably dehydrated because I still struggle with eating and drinking properly.
My question I suppose really is, does anyone here have autoimmune diseases who had the bariatric surgery, and did you/do you struggle still with fatigue? I am nearly 7 months post-op, so I was hoping to see an increase in energy levels, but that's just not happening. I am just always lethargic with little energy. I will add, I do not sleep a solid 8 hours due to pain, and I do know that that could also be making things worse. I would just like anyone's insight/suggestions/experience with this sort of thing. Did you improve with treatment? How long did it take to see/feel improvements?
Thanks in advance.

This is more of a before and during, as I am not quite to goal. First pics were right before starting my pre-op diet in late June and the last pic is two days ago. Size 20-22 down to an 8 in less than seven months. Loving all of the energy I have now!

I wonder how it feel after being overweight all these years to finally be at a “normal” size again. I was pretty slim all the way until my mid 20’s then I just put on like 70 lbs over a course of 15 years and I didn’t really notice until about 5 years ago and been trying to lose ever since. I lost 20 lbs here and 30 lbs there but always put back more so I finally made the decision to have wls. Idk how I’m going to feel to be back to my normal weight it’s exciting and a little scary at the same time! How is it for you guys?

WHAT, WHAT, WHAT!!!!???? I had no idea this was a possibility! My feet grew with both of my pregnancies, but did not even in my wildest dreams think they could shrink! I have ‘Peggy Hill feet’. Well... almost - 11.5 to 12!! It is sooo difficult finding shoes, I usually have to buy men’s! 😣. Oh my Holy Hannah!!! You have made my year!!! Crossing fingers for future foot shrinkage! Woooohooooo!!!!
CONGRATS on all your successes!!! Thank you for sharing!

I am constantly cold, I dress in layers now.
It is so much easier to do everything!
My husband says I am too boney, my hip bones stick out and my spine.
I am shocked when I look in the mirror and sometimes find myself staring at myself saying who is that?
My wrinkle (y) skin drives me crazy!
I feel pretty darn good!

A few things I wasn't expecting 5 months out from surgery.
6. I would have to get smaller shoes. I was a size ten 1/2 in shoes and now 8.5.
5. Also always being cold, I wear thermals almost every day to work , but I live in a cold environment. I always wear a scarf.
4. Loosing hair was a bit traumatic for me, but it has stabilized
3. the amount of time I think of food has been transferred into new coping skills, like crafts with yarn and having fun science experiments with my kids.
2. the need for silence to be alone with my thoughts.
1. how anxious I get when buying new clothes. what are some surprise that you had?

I have really lost control over the past month. I’ve been snacking on junk and I find myself eating at night, Something so awful happened last month that made me very depressed and anxious. I had decided to do the surgery last summer because I was about to become a grandmother for the first time. Well my grand baby was born but he didn’t make it. Now my daughter is devastated and I feel so empty. I got to hold him before he passed away but I wanted to scream when he died but I just held it all in. I had to stay calm for my daughter. I’m scared of hurting myself with food but I have such a strong impulse to pick every few hours. I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry if this post is upsetting but I had to let this out.

Almost 5 1/2 months out and down 77lbs! The first picture was taken the night before surgery... I'm thankful I have it for comparison. This Surgery has saved my life in so many ways.
Sent from my SM-G981U using BariatricPal mobile app

Today is my 6 month surgiversary! I was really hoping to hit my 100 pounds of weight loss and a BMI less than 25 by today, but I have been slacking a bit on tracking my food and the carbs have definitely been up. On Monday I decided to get back on track and focus on food, tracking everything I was putting in my mouth and focusing on Protein. My 6 month labs show I am still a bit protein deficient and Iron deficient. My surgeon’s office had given me the go ahead to not take iron, due to my Constipation, but looking at my labs I need it. My plan went sideways on Monday night, when my Mother-in-law suddenly died from COVID. Thankfully, due to the hubs and me being nurses, we were able to be with her when she passed. Yesterday I gave myself grace and used food for comfort. Today is a new day, and so my reset to focusing on diet starts today, my six month surgiversary. Time to lose that last 20-ish pounds!
Before and current:

Thanks, Happy New Year to you.

Thank you very much. This has been such a hard year for all of us. Its so nice yo find messages like this. I hope your journey in 2021 is awesome.

I just wanted to wish everyone here a happy and safe holiday season & here's to hoping 2021 is a better year for all of us.

as long as you follow your clinics program, you'll lose weight.
starving yourself is a terrible idea - your body needs the nutrition and you'll destroy your health if you starve yourself. Plus kill your metabolism. Just follow your clinic's food plan.

I started my pre op liquid diet almost 2 weeks ago. I did pretty good, I cheated twice, having a subway sandwich one day for lunch. And another night I had a oriental chicken salad for dinner. Other than that. I tried my best to stick with it, and on surgery day I was down a total of 16 lbs in a week. I had my surgery Oct 29th 202p. I'm currently on day 4 of post op. The 2nd and 3rd day of was feeling very overwhelmed. Emotional. Was wondering if I made the worst decision of my life. The pain I felt was mainly from the air and gas, omg that was horrible. But here on day 4, I don't really have too much pain, except where my drain currently is, and only sometimes. I get it taken out on a couple days. But I'm starting to not feel as emotional, glad I have my mom here to help me out as I am a single mother of 3 kids. Without her, lord I couldn't of done it this far. I'm starting to feel alone better about the decision I made. I'm on my liquid diet right now, and I haven't really thought about food, the only thing I want to do more than anything is GUZZLE a glass of Water !!! Lol. Taking small sips throughout the whole day helps I suppose. LOL I just feel so thirsty. I am glad I found this support forum, I love reading everyone's journey, and I'm glad to be here !
Sent from my SM-G781U using BariatricPal mobile app

Any time you change things up on your body (new food, more food, less food, new exercise) it's going to react until it's certain what you're doing to it.

menstrual cycle, Water retention, "bathroom backup" (i.e. Constipation or full intestines) can all cause weight to fluctuate by a couple of pounds. And strength-training can also cause a slight gain (muscle weighs more than fat), but that's usually temporary, too. So to answer your question - a gain of 2 or 3 lbs here and there is not abnormal. As long as you're sticking to your program and the general trend is down, you're good!

Exactly 5 yrs ago this month I stepped on the scale at my doctors office and it read 110, but it was KG! That means I had a BMI of 48. I remember being so depressed because that was the highest number I had ever seen. I remember thinking "man that's what I should weigh in pounds!" I am excited today because when I got on the scale this morning it read 110.6...POUNDS!! It's been a long road but I can't believe I finally got there!

Thank you all so much! Your responses have been so helpful. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

It was the other way around for me. I really wanted to have the bypass because average weight loss is higher than for the sleeve. But it turned out to be medically contra-indicated for me and I had to have the sleeve instead. I was super-disappointed, but it has turned out well in the end. I got to my weight loss goal and a normal BMI and I didn't have any major complications or issues. I know it's frustrating not to be able to do the surgery you want, but it can still be a total success. The sleeve does exacerbate GERD for a lot of patients, so when you balance the risks/benefits, are you taking that into account as well? Are you willing to possibly have to do a revision surgery at some point down the road if you have the sleeve? I guess another option is not having the surgery at all but obesity carries its own serious risks. It can be hard evaluating all these trade-offs, so I wish you well in making the best decision. 🤗

I thought I wanted the sleeve, as well, but ended up with bypass due to my GERD. I do not regret it at all. My GERD is gone, including the Barrett's esophagitis that had progressed to the point of a precancerous polyp. Malabsorption has not been a nutritional issue. All my Vitamin and mineral labs are fine. Malabsorption actually starts to resolve after a couple of years, as the jejunum starts to take over the absorption role that the duodenum used to perform. Bypass surgery has been around for a long time. The procedure is just as safe as a sleeve and it works. I'm glad I had it. I lost weight quickly and have maintained easily.