EsojLabina

4 minutes ago, KDBaker said:

In my program (MGH in Boston), the pre-op period was less about weight loss and more about building healthy habits. They told me to focus on Protein and Fiber with every meal and snack, make sure I didn't go more than 5 hours without eating, and sip on Water all day long. I'll say it was very helpful to me. And once I filled up on the Protein and Fiber, a lot of the foods I thought I was going to miss just weren't an issue. Until the 2 week pre-op liver shrinking diet started. Then everyone looked like a walking breadstick or slice of pizza to me.

@KDBaker is was the “walking 🥖 and 🍕” best comment ever.

20 hours ago, learn2cook said:

Ha ha ha! Actually, just be yourself. Most men have dad bellies and man boobs. If you are yourself he will feel better about being himself. If he’s not nice, kick him to the curb, or better yet make him dress up in the outfit above.

@learn2cook I love my hairy man boobs 🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤣🤣🤣

2 hours ago, FutureSylph said:

I couldn't budge the scale the first three months, no matter how few calories I ate. Every time I managed to lose a pound, it would show back up within two days, sometimes bringing a buddy with it. It was incredibly frustrating to be eating cabbage instead of cake and not losing. What finally overcame it was making sure I drank at least half a gallon of fluids every day. My weight loss is still much slower than is reasonable to expect, but at least the gaining seems to have stopped (knocking on wood).

@FutureSylph 🧐 very Interesting indeed. Some are affected by not getting enough sleep, other by anxiety, even with something that we might think is that simple as your Fluid intake is really not that simple. What I have learn from this forum is work with my team to find that zone that works for me. I really appreciate you taking out of your time and provide me with this feedback. Thank you.

1 minute ago, ShoppGirl said:

I experienced weight gain pre op and it was because I was mourning the future loss of food. I ate things I shouldn’t because I was worried I would never be able to have them again. I did manage to lose the extra weight really quick on the pre op diet but I probably could have lost more had I not had all the food funerals. One thing that may be helpful in avoiding that is that if there is a food you have an intolerance for post op most likely you will also develop a taste aversion for it so it’s not like you will be craving it and never be able to eat it again. I didn't realize that so I wanted to eat everything I loved one last time before surgery and I packed on the pounds.

@ShoppGirl this gives me hope in terms that I not alone with this struggle. It is so frustrating smh thank you for sharing this.

I am having such a difficult time loosing weight pre-op is not even funny. Has anyone experienced this phenomenon it can be due to anxiety, bad patterns of eating etc. can you share you experience and how did you overcome it?

1 minute ago, Kenda0928 said:

I had my appt with my psychiatrist last week and he confirmed that, for me, there should be no issue. Regular Prozac is not extended/delayed release and I am getting the sleeve. He did say, though, that it would be wise to keep an eye on things as fat stores estrogen, which can impact emotional/mental health, as well as just the sheer size of such a dramatic life change. Often times, things can get a little wonky post-op, so best to be prepared and have a plan in place. Proud of all of us for doing the hard work to have healthy minds and bodies!

@Kenda0928 kind words thank you for sharing you experience.

In addition to psych meds I also take Ranexa for microagina they are XL - wanted to know the experience of people in this forum who have been diagnose with some type of heart Diseases Have they change your medication post op? Is your heart disease is in remission? Are you doing better etc? Any feedback would be great thank you for taking out of your time and giving us some hope with your experience.

3 hours ago, Jacks133 said:

Lizonaplane,

My daughter may be atypical, but she is bipolar and had a RNY bypass over 10 years ago. She was on three meds; antidepressant, psychotic and anxiety. They tried crushing the tablets which made her throw up, so they changed her to Epilim as it was a liquid. Part of her weight gain had been the bipolar drugs. After her surgery she started to lose a lot of weight. Unknown to me, she weaned herself off the drugs, going cold turkey with the anti anxiety meds, because she started running. She found the endorphins from running made her feel good and moderated her condition. At her peak running she was doing 2 marathons per weekend many weeks. She is highly unusual as a Bypass patient in being able to do this! She injured her hip, and couldn’t run, so now she lifts weights. She was determined to take control of her life in every way. She has been drug free for years and is fit, healthy and active. I wanted to share because her psychiatrist at the time said the Bypass would not help her with her mental health, and refused to sanction the op. We paid a psychiatrist to assess her and they concluded she was sane enough to make her mind up. As a person who had previously attempted suicide on more than one occasion, she is an example of the positive outcome possible from gastric surgery. It saved her life, literally, and has given me my daughter back.

I wish you all the best.

@lizonaplane what an amazing story, this gives me hope. Thank you so much for sharing.

16 hours ago, vikingbeast said:

I just spoke to my psychiatrist and she put me on standard (not immediate) release bupropion (Wellbutrin) in advance of my surgery next week (AAAAAAA NEXT WEEK). I'm a bit nervous about it. But since so much of my depression is bound up in my weight, I'm hoping to be able to titrate down a bit.

@vikingbeast I am so excited and happy for you. It will be superb. Godspeed keeps us posted

17 hours ago, JessLess said:

I took Nefazodone, an atypical antidepressant, worked fine. I also took extended release generic Xanax. I had to switch to regular. It was an adjustment but manageable.

@JessLess that is good to know thank you for sharing

On 9/5/2021 at 10:00 AM, Candace76 said:

I honestly feel like I have been sleeping better since the surgery. I don't have sleep apnea & I was pre-diabetic before surgery (urination overnight was not an issue). I had been having difficulty getting a good night's sleep for at least the last 10 years. I often had trouble falling asleep & staying asleep, with periods of being up for 2-4 hours overnight. Often, I would get an hour or two of sleep at a time. My husband's snoring 😴 didn't help any either!🤣

One of the (many) reasons I decided to go through with the surgery was to help me get better sleep. I was getting pain in my legs, hips & lower back & was constantly readjusting my position overnight. I thought dropping some weight would help with the pain & discomfort while sleeping.

I have only lost about 35 pounds so far, and I have been more comfortable overnight & able to sleep for longer stretches than I have in years.

Hopefully, you will also have improvement with your sleep as well.

@Candace76 that is the goal to improve on sleep.

On 9/4/2021 at 1:01 PM, GreenTealael said:

I have patterns of insomnia every few months. No clue why and a sleep study didn’t reveal anything useful (No diabetes either).

I recently started using magnesium oil instead of pill form and I’ve been told that now I don’t wake at every little noise.

@GreenTealael interesting 🤔

3 minutes ago, Arabesque said:

I wasn’t a great sleeper averaging about 5 hours a night but would have odd nights where I would get only an hour or two or none at all. After surgery I started to sleep a lot better & average 7-8hrs a night. It’s wonderful. Not sleeping well though lately not sure why but that dang bird that starts twittering hours before dawn (sparrow fart) is pissing me off as is the guy across the road who leaves for work at dawn & needs to get his car fixed - it’s not supposed to grind & screech like that mate!!

I still pee a lot a night. Never a diabetic or pre diabetic just drank a lot of Water. Used to drink most in the afternoon & night because I’d get too busy at work. Now I drink all day & night so peeing a lot is to be expected.

Just a thought but have you had your melatonin levels checked? Low levels can cause sleep issues.

@Arabesque yes we checked that too. They were with in normal levels.

3 hours ago, Elidh said:

Symptoms of diabetes can include polyuria (frequent urination) and nocturia (nighttime urination). With sleep apnea, nocturia is often present as as well. So, if your apnea and diabetes resolve, you may very well not experience nocturia in the future.

@Elidh that is what I am hoping for as the result of the surgery

4 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

I am not diabetic but I have to take oxybutinin for excessive sweating which is actually an incontinence medication and decreased sweating is a side effect. Anyways, since I started it i noticed that I do not get up to go pee nearly as many times a night (or during the day for that matter). Maybe your doctor would consider you trying that if you need it to get better sleep. Not sure if it works for men too??

@ShoppGirl we did tried some sort of medication that helps but it did not work for me

5 minutes ago, njlimmer said:

I am no longer diabetic so I'm not sure if it has anything to do with it, but I always used to get up at least once in the night to go. With your question, I just realized that I haven't done that for months!

@njlimmer that is all I am hoping for at least to get a restful and continuous sleep more than 6 hours 😴😴😴🥱🥱🥱.

42 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I don't have diabetes but I still have to get up a lot to pee. I have heard it gets better as you weigh less because your body isn't putting so much weight on your bladder. I don't know if this will be true for you.

There are other things that cause you to have to pee: artificial sweeteners, caffeine, coffee, tea, etc are all bladder irritants and can cause you to have to get up a lot to pee. Also being anxious.

@lizonaplane Yeah my doctor just told that is my body act works even had my urologist look at it and no issues with my prostate I know that is a huge factor specially for men over 40. I am a coffee head, but I usually stop my last cop before 3 pm. I will just have to wait and see how is turns out for me. And congratulations your on your upcoming surgery.

Some context. I struggle with insomnia (I take lunesta and magnesium) sleep apnea (using my cpap) and because of diabetes I wake up from 3 to 5 times a night for a bathroom break. Lunesta and Magnesium are my combo to get at least 3 hours of continuous sleep. I know that sleep apnea improves after surgery. How about insomnia and getting up at night do to diabetes? Has anyone else experience any improvement with this?

10 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Turmeric is supposed to be very good too. Many add turmeric to their coffee but that’s a no go for a while but maybe add the spices to your broths, Soups or shakes & see if they taste ok. Green tea is good too & able to be drunk on most post surgery plans.

Problem is many of the anti inflammatory diets recommend foods you can’t eat for a while after surgery. But you will be avoiding foods that stimulate inflammation.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/anti-inflammatory-diet-101#foods-to-eat

@Arabesque excellent source, and yes I thought of that to. Basically you body is in Ketosis for the 1st month and from the researched I’ve done it should help with the inflammation. Thank you for the link.

Another query that comes to mind is post-op inflammation. I read that several natural remedies can aid in the process of healing and inflammation such as curcumin, ginger, and CBD. Has anyone dealt with this or has any experience? Please share

2 hours ago, boogie2dope said:

Hey, I actually just registered this very moment b/c I wanted to reply to you. I've been reading these boards for a few months and these people have the most valuable information, experience and research!

To be completely candid, I have bipolar type 2 and anxiety, with a sprinkling of insomnia on top. I take different meds to help with all these issues, and after extensive research in the form of white papers, speaking with doctors and pharmacists, as well as my own, albeit short, experience (I'm just about 4 weeks post-op) I was only concerned about the bipolar medicine, Depakote Delayed Release 500mg tablets.

I maintained my PRN anti-anxiety and insomnia meds as these are immediate release, and I can report they have worked well for me in the past few weeks since my surgery. I did get switched over to the oral liquid form of the Depakote, however; Valproic Acid Oral Solution 250mg/5ml. I have to take it 3x a day to get the dose I was getting before with the DR tabs, but I had my bloodwork done last week and my serum levels are actually higher than they were on the tabs, so I may be able to come down a bit on the dose after a few months (I want to be sure, as I know I'm still in early recovery and only time will tell.)

I think you are doing the right thing by asking questions. Definitely speak with your surgeon, and prescribing physician as my surgeon didn't really have the first clue about the Bipolar med. Maybe even talk to your pharmacist if you feel comfortable with that. I made sure to have my script filled prior to my surgery date so it would be waiting at home for me after discharge. Good thing too b/c the hospital was out of the liquid form and I would have been out-of-luck.

I'd be happy to talk more if you like. Hope everything goes well for you.

@boogie2dope I can appreciate the fact you took out of your time to redact and provide feedback. Thank you very much the sentiment is reciprocated.

5 hours ago, Sunnyway said:

I've come to realize that I am also a sugar/food addict. I've read a ton of books, some of which I will share with you. OA, a 12-step program, is an excellent support group. I haven't joined OA but I know its out there and available to me.

I had WLS in 1990, received no nutrition guidance, and was pretty much left to my own devices. I lost weight during the post-op honeymoon, but as time passed I could eat more...and I did! I regained every pound I had lost and returned to my original set point, where it stayed for the next 25 years despite a variety of weight loss program. I could never keep lost weight off.

I only recently learned that my RNY can be revised. I wasted a lot of time, but I'm going to give it another shot. This time I have lots more information at my fingertips.

Pre-operatively I have sworn off sugar, flour, wheat, rice, starchy vegetables, and processed foods. The first couple of weeks were hard but now I rarely get cravings or head hunger. I've lost 43 lbs. since the first of April. I know that abstention is the only way to prevail over addiction. I intend to continue with this post-operatively also.

Since you already know you are a food addict, I recommend the following:

1. Food Junkies: Recovery from food Addiction, by Vera Talman

2. Weight Loss Surgery Does Not Treat Food Addiction, by Connie Stapleton

3. Why Diets Fail (because youʼre addicted to sugar), by Nicole Avena & John Talbott

4. Baratric Surgery & Food Addiction, by Philip Werdell (written for the clinician, but I found it valuable}

5. You might find Kay Sheppard's books relevant, since she advocates 12-step programs: Food Addiction: The Body Knows and From The First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery

One more book that I highly recommend is The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients, by Colleen Cook. I've also discovered that there a plethora of Bariatric Cookbooks now. My favorite is The Bariatric Guide and Cookbook, by Matthew Weiner.

@Sunnyway what a great repertoire of books and resources. They do have OA meetings that focus on Bariatric Support.

4 hours ago, Lynnlovesthebeach said:

Ask your doctor if he uses the Bupivacaine Block. Anesthesia does it in your nerves in both sides of your abd. It lasts for 4 days. By that time you should be past the stage of needing opioids. I had absolutely no pain with my RNY-GB. I've also had that block with both my plastic surgeries and have not required narcotics. I have no issue with narcotics though and certainly have them available if needed. Congratulations on your sobriety. Good luck with your WLS. Now back to original question-the binder is a simple little garment that frees up your hands so you don't have to hug a pillow or use your hands to support your tender post operative abdomen-use it if necessary. I found it helpful.

@Lynnlovesthebeach I will get my binder in advance thank you for your feedback

1 hour ago, Arabesque said:

I agree that no one should feel pain & there are different ways of managing the level of pain someone may be experiencing. But I don’t think @Summermoose surgeon was saying pain helps healing. Rather that feeling pain like on movement (versus continuous pain) can indicate you’re doing too much & are risking damage which would impede healing. Well I hope that’s what they meant. 🙂

There’s pain & there’s pain & we all have different pain thresholds. Personally, I delayed taking my opiate meds when I got home after my sleeve surgery & my gall removal to assess how much pain I was actually experiencing & if I really needed to continue with opioids to manage it. In both cases I didn’t need the opioids any longer & an over the counter pain med was enough - one dose a day for a day or two & then none at all. Any discomfort I felt didn’t warrant pain meds - just being more careful. 🙂

@Arabesque I’ve been sober for over 5 years and I was hesitant to manage my pain with opioids. However, my discomfort was so great after the gallbladder surgery that I needed to take them only as prescribed.

13 hours ago, Arabesque said:

It’s really an individual thing cause we all react & heal differently to surgery. (I also think some surgeons may be more gentle than others.) I didn’t use or need a binder & had no problems sleeping - on my side or twisted half on my tummy from day one. I had more abdominal discomfort after my gall removal - like pulled muscles. But it was only noticeable when I was specifically using those muscles like as I got up or down. I just supported the area with my hand. Once I was standing or sitting there was no pain.

Good luck with your surgery.

PS - Oh yes, this forum is helpful & supportive. Always learning something here.

@Arabesque thank you so much for the great vibes.