Victoria Wank

I suspect you feel the construction of the chair, because you have less padding. Buy some memory foam or gel cushions.

Maybe the fact that you are practically starving yourself is the problem. Even with the weight-loss, your body still needs enough calories, including Protein, carbs, and fats to burn. That’s when you start (or continue) losing weight. When you start eating too few calories, your body reads that as famine. It holds onto whatever calories it can. Your best bet is to eat enough calories that you and your body don’t think you’re in a famine.

I know exactly how you’re feeling! I get the feeling of food being stuck in my stomach pouch. It’s very uncomfortable. The only thing that makes it feel better is throwing up. I’m okay with soft foods (mashed potatoes, oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, pudding, Protein shakes). The only solid food that I’m confident in eating is Ritz Toasted chips. I can stuff myself with those chips and dip and have no problems. Only recently have I been able to handle chicken, and even then, I have to be careful. Beef still gives me problems, although ground is better. I have to try the trick where you add Water to ground beef.

I’ve been undergoing revision on my 2004 gastric bypass. I’ve noticed that my hair looks and feels thinner. I hadn’t connected it to the revision. Thank you!

You’ll stop losing weight at some point. Don’t freak out, but eventually the surgery stops working. Also, your body knows when to stop. Then you have to learn how to maintain without the help.

You’ll stop losing weight at some point. Don’t freak out, but eventually the surgery stops working. Also, your body knows when to stop. Then you have to learn how to maintain without the help.

19 hours ago, Reini said:

I feel you, three weeks out and I have lost that joie de vivre, nothing taste's good, I have sn awful taste in my mouth, can't stomach purees or Protein Drinks, when I eat something it's painful, Water tastes horrible to me, but then again this is why we lose weight I can honestly say I am not having cravings more of a repulsion, hanging in there since everyone says it gets better.

I had problems with Water, too. It was uncomfortable, just sitting in my stomach pouch. I found that if I added sugar free drink mix, I could get it down. Now there’s “Cirkul.” They’re flavor cartridges, with sugar free flavors. You get one of their bottles, plastic or stainless steel, and you screw in one of the cartridges. Put ice and water inside, and turn the dial until you get to the strength you want. It may help get the water down. Don’t gulp the water at first. Save that for later when your stomach can handle it.

20 hours ago, lions92 said:

Internal scar tissue after 2 years out

I had that, too.

11 hours ago, Mrsrichards said:

Surgery was 8/25

I’ve lost 34.4lbs - and last week finally got to see a 1 on the scale for the first number instead of a 2!

Weighing in at 198.0 exactly!

I’m either doing good on my Water, or good on my Protein - it’s really a struggle for me to do both in the same day.

Unfortunately personal issues have come up and I haven’t been as active as I’ve wanted to be, but hope that changes in the next week or so. It’s cooling down in Florida, too, so hopefully I can get outside more!

I am scared to try new foods - I’ve done relatively well, but the thought of adding grains in, or anything not Protein freaks me out. I know it won’t derail me, but I feel like it’s a slippery slope and I would hate to slide backwards at all - would feel like such a failure.

Oddly enough, I find it easier to eat grains than protein. There are low-carb cereals available on the internet, as well as some health foods supermarkets. There are also recipes for low-carb Cereal. Don’t be afraid to try it.

14 hours ago, hrhdiana said:

Does anyone know if Kaiser will cover plastic surgery after Bariatric surgery?

I would doubt that any insurance company would cover all plastic surgery. It’s generally considered to be cosmetic.

7 hours ago, BlondePatriotinCDA said:

Thank you for responding! My bowel movements are daily so that isn't the issue. I've read stalls are common, but I wasn't expecting one only 3 weeks post op!

May I ask, you said you checked with your doctor when you had a stall? Then you had a revision? I had a RNY, what more could they revise at that point?

I'm sticking with the program..don't really have a choice even if I didn't want too...major surgery done..no going back. 😋 I know its fairly common to experience these stalls, but, it doesn't make it easier its still frustrating!

It’s a very different situation. I had RNY back in 2004. I lost a lot of weight and maintained it for 18 months. Then it started creeping back on. When I was finally ready for a revision (somewhere around 2014-ish, different team), the team kept losing my endoscopy results. I finally lost interest. In the last few years, I’ve felt ready to try again. My insurance has changed, as have revision methods. My insurance approved a procedure called Endoscopy with Argon Plasma Coagulation. They make the opening to the stomach pouch smaller by zapping it and creating scar tissue, making it smaller. I had the first procedure in 2022. Unfortunately, the surgeon didn’t tell me that there were more to come. No one reached out to schedule the next procedure. I assumed that the revision consisted of that one procedure. That’s why I thought the revision wasn’t working for me. When I spoke with my surgeon, she was surprised that I had done as well as I had with just that one time, as well as the fact that no one had contacted me to schedule the next procedure. I’ve had the second procedure, and I have continued to lose weight. I know the stalls are maddening, and if it continues for more than a few weeks, talk to your surgeon.

10 hours ago, BlondePatriotinCDA said:

I feel your pain...the Water consumption along with the waiting before and after eating makes it a chore trying to get the large amount of liquids in..especially because I'm not thirsty. I keep waiting for the intolerance to foods, the feeling of full (yes, I'm aware it takes months for the nerves to regenerate to fill "full") something that would keep me from wanting to eat other than I didn't go through all this to not lose weight. Add on top of that I've not lost any weight for 10 days - I've about had enough! Yes, I'm getting my Protein in, no I'm not over eating (1/4 cup max each meal 2 meals with one high Protein shake) its just stuck!

I know I'm supposed to let the program work..but hey!! I'm doing my part..when does it do its part? 😋 So, yeah I feel your pain!

Most, if not all, of us have experienced a stall in weight loss not long after having the surgery. Check your bowels; you may be constipated. Just stick with the program. Talk to your surgeon, if you don’t see progress. I did that and discovered that I had had only the first of several procedures in my revision surgery.

16 hours ago, BlondePatriotinCDA said:

Hello fellow August WLS patients! I had mine on the 21st..no one told me my entire stomach would be a solid black bruise and after one month is finally showing signs of abating.

I have hit the dreaded "3 week stall" going on 10 days of a pound here and a pound there along with major fatigue. I just keep telling myself it will all be worth it - my new life long mantra!

Good luck everyone!

The major fatigue will get better. It’s a result of the surgery. As for the “3-week stall,” check your bowels. Have you had a bowel movement since the surgery? I ended up in the ER with severe Constipation. The doctor prescribed Miralax and Lactulose.

11 hours ago, Abbykimz said:

Hello, I had my surgery 08/14, I've been having terrible acne. I do have PCOS and cardiomyopathy. I asked my WLS he said he's not familiar with acne as a symptom, went to my cardiologist he said it's not heart related. Went to a dermatologist she told me it was contact dermatitis from something from the hospital. I had to go to the ER and get a steroid shot. I'm currently trying to find a doctor who will see me immediately and do a hormone panel and other blood panels on me as it keeps spreading and I'm very concerned about the scarring. Is anyone else experiencing skin issues?

-abby

Have you spoken to your primary care physician? Perhaps he/she could order some labs to see what your levels are. May be an answer there.

1 hour ago, BrandNewMe23 said:

Can we have Campbell’s broccoli cheddar Soup?

what about shredded cheese? ?

i am at a plateau on week 3 and I’m just trying to experiment on what works and what doesn’t.

Check your Constipation. I found that being backed up often accompanied a stall. You’re in the 3rd week, which means you’ve been consuming only liquids. You don’t have the Fiber intake you used to.

3 hours ago, PennyinAL said:

Not sure what you mean by gross ingredients? I mostly went with broths and some cream Soups in the 3rd week of Clear Liquids, I'd mix one can broth to one can cream Soup. My fourth week sent me into soft foods which was mostly eggs, ground sausage or beef and some fish. Week 5 I moved into chicken. chicken being so very dry it seems harder to digest than anything else, ground beef was so much easier. I can't much do the Protein Shakes, the only way I've been able to choke them down is to literally put in a blender with some extra Protein Powder & yogurt and ice and make a smoothie/milkshake thing and top with Keto whipped cream. I use it more as a dessert bc I can't drink all that sweet stuff in the early morning. Not much of a Breakfast person but since this surgery I wake up famished but I guess 3-4 oz only takes so long to digest and if I eat at 7-9 pm by the time I get up at 9-10 am it has been a long time. I got the Walgreen's extra Protein shakes, small town, limited choices around here.

As far as chicken goes, dark meat is much moister than white meat. Pieces that have the bone in and skin on tend to be more moist, especially if you bake them. You can take the skin off afterward if you want.

3 hours ago, PennyinAL said:

Not sure what you mean by gross ingredients? I mostly went with broths and some cream Soups in the 3rd week of Clear Liquids, I'd mix one can broth to one can cream Soup. My fourth week sent me into soft foods which was mostly eggs, ground sausage or beef and some fish. Week 5 I moved into chicken. chicken being so very dry it seems harder to digest than anything else, ground beef was so much easier. I can't much do the Protein Shakes, the only way I've been able to choke them down is to literally put in a blender with some extra Protein Powder & yogurt and ice and make a smoothie/milkshake thing and top with Keto whipped cream. I use it more as a dessert bc I can't drink all that sweet stuff in the early morning. Not much of a Breakfast person but since this surgery I wake up famished but I guess 3-4 oz only takes so long to digest and if I eat at 7-9 pm by the time I get up at 9-10 am it has been a long time. I got the Walgreen's extra Protein shakes, small town, limited choices around here.

As far as chicken goes, dark meat is much moister than white meat. Pieces that have the bone in and skin on tend to be more moist, especially if you bake them. You can take the skin off afterward if you want.

3 hours ago, Peggy Anne said:

I think I misspoke, I did lose 3 lbs week one (plus the 6 lbs of Water weight from 4 days of IV fluids) and 5 lbs week 2 in total 14 lbs but really I shouldn't count the Water so 8lbs. My sister reminded me this very morning that an 8 lb loss in 2 weeks is amazing. I always want to hurry up and wait. As for the meatball recipe it was 1 of 4 recommended recipes except I added the ricotta trying to get my Protein up. I'm supposed to be eating 5 to 6 servings of 2 oz of meat a day and I can't seem to get past 1 1/2. So far I can do one meal and 2 Protein Shakes or visa versa. I fear my metabolism will stall if I can't get more in but for now it's day by day.

I appreciate the input though. Everyone is so helpful in this group and I'm loving it.

Thank you for clarifying and for reminding me about water weight. Yesterday my scale told me I had gained 4 pounds. I couldn’t figure it out, until I remembered that I had been receiving IV fluids for almost 48 hours when I was in the hospital (not surgery-related).

On 8/27/2023 at 7:31 AM, Peggy Anne said:

I'm almost 2 weeks post surgery. I'm feeling much better and starting to tolerate food somewhat. I managed to find a Protein Powder made with stevia and none of the sucralose which throws my joints into chaos. As long as I drink my Protein 3 times a day I'll feel alive the following day. Yesterday I ate something besides mashed potato's. Meatballs, spag sauce, ricotta and parm cheese all pureed into runny much. It was delish. Could only get 1/4 cup down at 10am and I stayed full the rest of the day. Tried to force another "feeding" in at 3pm and managed to bloat. Maybe ate 1/8 cup and had to quit. I hate the bloating. Burping seems a luxury these days. I have 2 more weeks of the puree stage. Weight loss is super slow at this point. I know that'll get better too especially as I can increase my "feedings". I look forward to a new life with new knees (I'm already halfway to new knees YAY).

You shouldn’t be experiencing a slow weight loss at only 2 weeks out, especially if this is the original bariatric surgery. Even with a revision, you shouldn’t be stalled (speaking as someone who has been). Looking at the ingredients in your meatball shake, though, I’m not surprised. The meatballs, ricotta and Parmesan are heavy, even though they’ve been blitzed. It sounds like you’re trying to move through the food stages to get to “regular” food again too quickly. This reminds me of a scene in an episode of “ER,” where a bariatric patient swore he was drinking his shakes. Turns out, the ingredients were pizza, an entire fried chicken dinner, and any kind of fast food you can think of, all blended in a blender. We all understand how it feels to be so desperate to get to solid-(ish) foods. The best thing we can do is follow the plan to the letter (and keep after the Constipation, that’ll weigh you down, too). Take care, and keep up the good work.

On 8/25/2023 at 6:08 AM, Peggy Anne said:

I know the feeling well. I was so hungry the 5 days before I was given the OK to eat pureed food, then I made egg salad, eggs mayo mustard, it was ok but gave me terrible bloating. Never touched it again. Been eating instant mashed potatoes and Protein Drinks. I'm so hungry for real food. Wish I had a good understanding of what exactly I'm to do to make pureed chicken. Sounds very dry and ick to me.

Probably the best way to purée chicken is to blend it in a blender or food processor with chicken or other stock until it’s the texture you’re looking for. Add a thickening agent, such as tapioca flour, if needed. Yes, chicken meat can be dryer than other meats, but the dark meat is moister

9 hours ago, PennyinAL said:

My list of soft foods from dr is

mashed Potatoes

eggs

pureed fish (I can’t even)

puréed veg

yogurt/pudding

after the initial soft food week 3 (4 for me) I am supposed to switch to Proteins @50% then veg or carb last

im planning on mashed Beans, mashed potatoes and eggs and yogurt for a week or two

Okay. But by eating mashed potatoes, you’re eating both vegetables and carbs.
I’m with you on the fish, unless you’re making something like salmon mousse. There are websites that sell low carb versions of some of our favorite foods, including Bariatric Pal, Bariatric Eating, and Diet Direct.

My post-surgery regimen went: liquid (broth, shakes), soft foods (yogurt, ricotta, cottage cheese, eggs), soft cheeses, soft fish, hard cheeses, flaky fish, chicken and low carb veggies, the rest of the meat group.

4 minutes ago, PennyinAL said:

I had mine 8/1/23 and last food I had was 7/31 so 3 weeks today of clears, I asked about Protein Shakes and they said I could get the Ensure clear Protein Drink but no shakes! I can’t drink it because it’s so sweet it gags me so I’ve lived on broth and a lot of Water and snowcones w/ sf Syrup and popsicles. Three days ago I had cooked/frozen several large batches of Lima, Red Beans, cream peas and bean Soup. I had some of the bean broth bc it had a bit of substance and it seemed to be all that kept me going. I ran out and went back to broth with seasoning but finally started using 1 small can cream of chicken Soup to a quart of chicken broth plus 2 cups Water and cooked down with a bunch of Cajun spice. I go back to surgeon tomorrow and am supposed to be put on soft puréed food, eggs, mashed potatoes and yogurts per their instructions and I am certain that if I don’t gnaw my arm off by then I will come home and eat the best eggs and potatoes of my life 🤣

I have been starving for the last 10 days and I’m pretty sure my stomach has healed bc it growls and gives hunger pains about 90-120 post broth meals.

I’m surprised at the mashed potatoes. Haven’t you and your surgeon ever heard the phrase. “If it’s white, it’s not right”? That means Pasta, potatoes, sugar, bread, and rice.
I’m not sure about the hunger pains, but maybe it’s that the part of your brain that controls hunger hasn’t quite caught up to the new body chemistry from the surgery. Now that you’re able to eat soft foods, you can satisfy the hunger pains.

Also, don’t gnaw your arm off. That’s meat, and you’re not allowed to eat that yet😄😉

15 hours ago, Andrea13$ said:

That’s what my doctor had me do too.
Last Monday all liquid diet Tuesday 8/15 was my surgery. From Tuesday thru Friday liquid + clear Protein diet. Today I had my 1st vanilla Protein Shake

When I was preparing for my original gastric bypass, my surgeon was worried he might not be able to do it laparoscopically because of my weight. He needed my liver to be smaller. He was actually “threatening” to not do it at all, unless I lost enough weight. I bought all kinds of Atkins shakes, and that’s all I consumed for 4 weeks. I lost 30 pounds. It was enough to keep my surgery. He also recommended Clear Liquids for the first week afterwards. I bought chicken stock and added red pepper flakes to it.

2 hours ago, Shan0 said:

Also 8/15 but no hunger at all. Have to force myself to drink my stupid shakes.

You can also get unflavored Protein Powder and add it to drinks that you do like, such as broth, diet juice, tea (iced or hot), etc.

21 hours ago, PennyinAL said:

I am so sorry you are hurting so much. I too, had a very rough time of the pain. Like you, I've got major back issues (herniated discs neck, mid and low back) and have had several surgeries in the past and this lapband removal/bypass replacement hurt like hell. I wasn't trying to scare anyone off, I even said I would do it again but just really didn't realize how much it would hurt because compared to the prior LapBand, it was 10x worse in pain. I take Norco (hydrocodone & acet) and Lyrica and that Dilautin (sp?) was awful, it only worked for an hour at most but once I was able to get back on my Norco, it was bearable.

And I'm not a medical professional, but I am a bit of an observer of human behaviors and the human condition and at my age, I've seen a lot of things and have learned that it is best to try to prepare yourself for whatever life may want to throw at you because bad stuff never seems to happen at a good time :). Thus, I made sure I had my own pain meds because just when a bitchy old hag of a nurse wants to threaten to hold them over your head, you don't have to put up with crap, Or more likely, when staff is short and you are forgotten by the folks who are supposed to be caring for you in the middle of the night, etc. I'm not saying you need to ignore dr orders, I merely said it never hurts to be prepared for people to not do what they're supposed to do for you! Be prepared to take care of yourself.

I remembered my husband having spinal fusion surgery 10+ years ago, malfunction at hospital pharmacy so he was hours without meds. I watched that man screaming in pain and literally could do nothing to help him! The nurses had the audacity to try to come close his door (so they didn't have to hear him in agony) which made my head explode, I pretty much told them that IF I HAD TO HEAR HIM, THEY HAD TO HEAR HIM TOO AND IF THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR HIM TO GET HIM THE HELLO OUT OF PAIN! Going through these life experiences changes your perception, tends to make you learn what you don't want to go through again.

SoutheastP-Again, not trying to scare you. You may not have the same pain level or tolerance level, I'm just saying for me, IT HURT. That damned drain "football" suction port thing is what literally felt like they were suctioning my insides out! IF you have one, make them empty it (or have family do it) within 2 hours, do not let it get too full or have too much suction on it because I thought I was going to die from the pain.

And you don't have to take anything with you, I merely said that you might wish you had it. It is hard enough to be recovering from surgery, but if you are a chronic pain patient like I am, those pain meds help make life bearable most days for me, to be hurting from fresh incisions and still have my back & neck pain & hips hurting is a lot to bear. Many of the bariatric patients I speak to have spinal issues which is why so many of them are overweight to begin with as they cannot get much exercise due to pain issues or mobility issues.

And I also said, I'd do it again, but just like to be prepared for whatever you are going to encounter.

I also had a LapBand REMOVED and then replaced with a new Gastric Bypass so a 2-in-1 surgery which may have made mine more painful than what you're getting.

In any event, see you on the other side of it and wishing you a lot of success! peace

It’s “Dilaudid.” It’s a descendant of a drug called Laudinum, which you may hear if you watch shows that feature doctors practicing medicine pre-1923 (i.e., 18th and 19th century).