Aliana Wood

Have any of you heard of or tried Algaecal?

I have been on the lookout for a good Calcium Vitamin and I came across these on Amazon. Usually when looking at a Calcium bottle, it will say Calcium Carbonate, calcium citrate, or Calcium Phosphate (usually gummies), but this one says that the Calcium is "AlgaeCal l. superpositum" which I have never heard of. It says it's Plant Based Calcium.

I did check their website and they actually mention bariatric surgery patients, which is why I was curious. (https://blog.algaecal.com/what-you-can-do-to-protect-your-bones-for-surgery-patients/).

7 hours ago, EAsports said:

I have EXTREME period pain due to endometriosis. I take CBD pills for the pain now and it works better than ibprofin, etc. ever did. CBD has also not had an effect on my appetite. I know it depends on what state you're in if it's even an option

Very interesting. I might have to give that a try.

So, I have seen a lot of people getting the revision from sleeve to bypass due to GERD and I have seen people getting the sleeve to bypass revision due to weight gain years after the original surgery. I am not experiencing either of these issues.

I had my surgery in the middle of 2021. I was around 300 pounds then. It is now more than a year later. I have only lost around 70 pounds. I am still losing, but very slowly. I feel like due to my starting weight, I should have lost more than that in this time period. I am not ungrateful for the weight I have lost so far, but I want to lose much more and I am feeling a bit stagnant. I want to truly get down to a normal weight. I feel like it will take me forever to do that with the sleeve, so I want to get the gastric bypass.

I feel like getting a revision to bypass would jumpstart the weight loss for me again. But I am wondering if I would even be able to get approved for a revision in my position, since I am not suffering from any other medical conditions and I haven't actually regained any of my weight.

Is there anyone else in my position who has gotten a revision from sleeve to bypass so soon after the original surgery with no other medical conditions, just because they felt like they didn't lose enough weight with the original surgery?

You have lost 21 pounds in a month. That is very good for weight loss surgery. As for the timing of it, it seems like sometimes the loss happens in a weird way, like not evenly. Some people will lose 5 pounds steadily every week, but other people will lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks and then lose nothing for the next 2 weeks. It can be weird like that. But overall, you have lost 21 pounds in 1 month, which is good.

Wondering how other people manage period pain after surgery.

Before surgery, I would use iBuprofen and that worked perfectly. I would take a couple and it would completely get rid of my pain. Cramps, back aches, discomfort. All gone.

Now, after surgery, I'm not allowed to take it anymore, so I tried Tylenol and it simply doesn't work as well for me when it comes to managing period pain.

Are there any other options?

Yeah, I have them.

I want to be honest, since I see so many success stories here and I know I can't be the only one struggling.

I am not doing well at all. I did lose about 50 pounds, which was great, but since then, I have been stuck at around the same weight since November. I haven't really gained any weight, but I also haven't lost any since then. It's strange. My body is just stuck. So, I have hovered between 250 and 255 since November and cannot get out of that area. I cannot seem to get below 250.

I'm not sure if this is my body rebelling. Because prior to last year when I reached my highest weight of over 300 pounds, I had weighed around 250-260 for about 5 years or so.

It's frustrating because it feels like the surgery was a waste right now. Maybe I will be able to get out of this rut soon and start losing again. I don't know. I feel like I am losing hope.

The month of August has been rough on me as far as weight loss. I started back doing in person work and they brought in catered food every single day of the first week. It derailed me a bit. Now, I am starting to get back on track with my Protein and Water.

It's very common and normal. You are hardly eating anything, so there is nothing to poop out. If you really hate it after a few days, you can take a stool softener. My hospital gave me some of those.

On 7/19/2021 at 7:15 PM, Cocomoves said:

Hi Everyone,

I recently set my gastric sleeve surgery date for September 10th. I have been trying to do as much research as possible. Luckily I stumbled upon this page and I have read about all kind of complications that were never brought to my attention by my surgeon or his staff. I am starting to have some serious second thoughts. I would appreciate any and all insight as to was the procedure worth it? Do you regret it? Do you feel like your life has improved? Has it declined? Am I over thinking this? What should I be aware of? Should I try to loose the 100lbs the old fashion way?

I'm just guessing if you are thinking of getting surgery, you have already tried to lose the weight the old fashioned way and it hasn't worked before. You have no logical reason to believe that you can somehow lose the weight on your own this time when you weren't able to do it before. You NEED this surgery. Yes, the surgery is definitely worth it. It helps you lose weight and the weight loss actually lasts. Your quality of life will only improve after the surgery. Yes, the first month after surgery is hard and you can't eat the things you want to eat. After about 2 months, you are able to start back eating "regular" foods, just in smaller quantities. It will all be fine.

I would 100% recommend the surgery to young people. I wish I had gotten it a few years ago when I was 23 and not waited until I was in my late 20s. I would have had the chance to enjoy my 20s a whole lot more. You have probably already tried dieting several times and it didn't work, that's why you're considering surgery in the first place. Doing the pre-op diet can trick some people into thinking they can lose the weight on their own. They Can't. If they could, they would have done it by now.

I don't know your situation, but for me, being very fat prevented me from truly enjoying my life the way that I wanted. I wanted to be that girl on the beach in a bikini. I wanted to go hiking with friends. I wanted to run a marathon. I wanted to date more and be confident about it. Being fat held me back from that.

If I had had a full time job with health insurance at 23, I would have run to get this surgery.

If I were in your position, I would honestly go with what the insurance pays for. I wouldn't want to, but for me, cost would be very very important. But if you can afford it and you really don't want the bypass, then go ahead and self pay.

Are you even able to get gastric sleeve surgery with a BMI under 35? I didn't think it was possible.

How is everyone coming along since surgery? How much weight have you lost? How are you feeling?

I just bought a case of premier clear to drink and that was pretty much it.

60 pounds in 6 months is not a slow loss. That is a decent amount of weight to lose in such a short time, especially depending on what your overall goal is and starting weight.

Try Centrum Multivitamins (make sure to take them with food).

Centrum Multivitamin (2 a Day)

Vitamin B12 (Sublingual)

Citracal calcium citrate (Petites)

Honestly my tipping point was wanting to get some kind of enjoyment out of my 20s and also finally having a full time job with health insurance that covered it. I was getting into my late 20s and just didn't want my life to keep going by with me doing nothing with my life but coming home from work, watching tv, and eating. I wanted to live a more active life and I wanted to experience (just once) what it was like to feel young and hot! I know that's kind of vain, but it's the truth. I also have always dreamed of running a marathon or half marathon.

2 hours ago, KeKe82 said:

Aliana Wood.. how many days post op when you had the crackers.. how many did you have?

This was about 2.5 weeks post op, after full liquids ended and purees started. I had about 3 or 4 of them. Just regular ritz crackers. But of course, I have to put in the disclaimer, your results may vary and it’s always best to stick to the doctor’s plan.

Had crackers during puree stage simply because I wanted a typical "snack." It was fine. No issues whatsoever.

I use the Lose It! app. I have used My Fitness Pal in the past as well. Both are great. I just like the look of Lose It! more.

Yes, you can have Protein Shakes on the full liquid diet.

However, there is a such thing as a clear liquid diet as well and if that is what they put you on, then no, you can't have the Protein shakes on that.

I did not have to do a pre-op diet either. The only thing I had to do was 1 day of only liquids the day before surgery. I was surprised by it personally and it seemed to be the standard policy across my whole program.

On 6/13/2021 at 12:24 PM, Somber said:

How's everyone doing?
I'm scheduled for June 21st, so it's getting close now... Popping by the clinic tomorrow to meet the doctors, nutritionist etc.

I guess the majority of the members on this forum is from the US, and I read somewhere that the average costs in the US is 23 k, is that true?? Do you always have to finance it yourself?

I only paid $100 and that was it. lol. My insurance covered pretty much everything.